SOS On My Bedroom Floor
by redhandedwickedlittlemachine
Summary: Aria is kidnapped by A. A has demands to be met. What happens after. Oneshot...Possibly more. My views on Ezria/Jaria and more with the second half of the season.
1. SOS On My Bedroom Floor

**A/N: I was going to wait to post this because of the fact that I want to write a follow-up to it, and I don't know if the follow-up is just going to be one chapter, or several. Even so… I had to share it. **

**I was trying to write 40 Days, and since what I was writing involves research and I had no internet connection, my brain started to roam. This oneshot brings up a lot of thoughts I have about this season. It touches on how I would like things to go to some degree, but it's a **_**loose interpretation**_**. (And FYI, for those of you who follow me on tumblr, or even if you don't: I'm still not watching this part of the season until it's over. TOO MUCH ANGST! :P) There may be a short follow-up chapter after this. I haven't decided yet. **

**Thoughts/reviews appreciated. **

**WARNING: Sexual implications (and further) lie ahead. Read at your own risk. **

_S.O.S. On My Bedroom Floor_

Aria held her left arm close to her body as she walked out of the interview room at the Rosewood Police Station. She was exhausted, dirty, and sore. She wanted nothing more than to get out of the building and go home and take a shower.

"Aria!"

Even though her mother's voice was filled with a mix of excitement and concern, Aria didn't have the energy, much less the want to return the sentiment. As Ella wrapped her arms around Aria, she simply leaned into the gesture. Byron was standing next to them, and placed a hand on Aria's back, rubbing small circles.

Aria looked up at the TV for a brief moment; the news was replaying footage of her being found, over and over again while they discussed the disaster that had been capturing and taking down 'A'. She closed her eyes.

_Aria kicked the ground, trying to get free of her restraints. The last things she had remembered was being at the DeLaurentis home, trying once more to get in touch with Ezra. The last time they had spoken, they had argued about her parents, and she was trying to call and apologize. He'd only just picked up when it seemed like her memory went blank._

_The ache in her skull suggested that someone had knocked her out._

_As she sat there, she tugged roughly on her arms. They were tied behind her, bound closely to the back of the chair she was sitting in. The rope was digging harshly at her wrists. _

"_Where the __**hell**__ are you," she yelled. "If you're going to hurt me, at least have the decency to do it to my face!"  
><em>

Aria opened her eyes as her parents finally released her a few moments later. The last thirty-eight hours had been the most exhausting in her life. She hadn't slept since leaving home the previous morning, and for most of that time, she'd been running on hyper vigilance.

"Why don't we get you home," Ella offered softly. "The doctor said you could use the rest."

Aria looked up at her parents for a moment. In her exhausted memory, the two hours she'd spent at the doctors office earlier in the evening felt like a blur. They'd run every conceivable test on her, whether it was running X-Rays or taking blood from her, to doing a full body examination. They hadn't spared a single spot on or within her.

Fortunately, she had no broken bones. Her arms were badly bruised and cut up from the ropes they had been bound by, and a lot of her muscles were strained, but other than a badly sprained left wrist, she had otherwise turned out alright.

_Aria growled lowly under her breath. She'd been sitting in that damn chair long enough to watch the sun set over the window of whosever basement she was tied up in. while it wasn't large, it was big enough to tell her that at least more than an hour had passed. _

"_I'm getting bored," she taunted. "You're not a very good stalker to be leaving me sitting here like this." _

"_Stalker?"_

_Aria's blood ran cold at the voice. An icy shiver ran down her spine, even though she couldn't really move._

_"How is this stalking? You came to me, remember?"_

_'A' walked around her chair, and then walked directly in front of her, blocking the light from the window. A moment later, something clicked, and a light turned on above her. Aria looked up to see a small string dangling next to an exposed light bulb._

_Jason. _

"_What….You're-"_

_"A?" He asked in a menacing voice. "You know, when Ali went missing, I really did think that she had just pulled one of her tricks. But Ali always came home eventually. No, I knew it was one of you girls, and when my parents packed the place up, I found a lot of things Ali hid from people. Including her journal."_

_"Journal," Aria questioned. Her voice shook. _

_Jason nodded. He walked out of her line of sight, across the room. "Oh yeah. With probably every secret you and your girlfriends ever told her. Along with the fact that apparently you girls had a problem with telling the truth. Hanna with knowing about her dad's affair. Spencer and her kisses with Melissa's boyfriends. You and __**your**__dad's affair."_

_"So what," Aria argued. "What does that have to do with this?"_

_Jason walked back in front of her and smiled. "I told you. Ali always came home before. And I knew it was one of you girls. It wasn't hard to figure out your secrets and ways of getting around your parents, the four of you. Alison was very detailed with what she left behind for someone to find. It seems that Mr. Fitz character isn't the first teacher you've tongued."_

_Aria shuddered. "How dare you-"_

_Jason backhanded her. "Shut up."_

_He opened the journal he was holding in his hands, and flipped to a dog-eared page._

_"January 10th, 2007_

_Aria told me the most interesting story today, about Mr. Henderson. Personally, I think she's put her own twist on it. It's not like she makes her view of older men a secret. That girl is so quickly headed for trouble…" _

_Aria fumed with anger as she glared at Jason. "He tried to force himself on me! I'd think even you would remember the cast he put my arm in that year!" _

_Jason nodded maliciously. "I do. And Alison has a reason for that too."_

_He turned several pages to a later date._

_"February 11th, 2007_

_The girls and I spent a lot of this evening in the ER tonight. Mr. Henderson seems to have broken Aria's arm. She says he tried to get in her pants._

_Doubtful. She probably teased him too much, and drove him over the edge. Sometimes you've got to teach a girl a lesson."_

_Aria shook her head. "Your sister was cruel. She twisted stories for her own personal gain. Even you must know that, Jason."_

_He nodded, tossing the journal aside. "You're right. I know Ali liked to twist stories and play games with people But I also know that she wouldn't just disappear off the planet without leaving some sort of a trace that someone was trying to hurt her. She's not that stupid. Unless it was someone who would've taken her completely by surprise. Someone she never would have even suspected."_

_"And you so quickly jumped to the conclusion that its me?" Aria yelled._

_"Au contraire," Jason countered. "I considered Emily first. After all, she did pretty much proclaim undying love for Alison. But that just didn't seem right. Even if she was pissed at her, Emily is too passive to commit murder. Then I thought it might be Spencer. After all, she **is**the only one who really ever stood up to Ali. But then, why would Spencer take Ali out when all she really had to do was chew her out? We all know Spencer Hastings wouldn't take Ali's crap, regardless. Ali made stupid choices too."_

_"So it **must** be me," Aria concluded sarcastically._

_Jason nodded. "The good girl. The one who never got angry with Ali. The one who never said anything."_

_"Are you serious!" Aria screamed. Jason hit her once more._

_"Scream again, and you won't say another word." _

_"Ali frustrated me and sure, she pissed me off sometimes, but I **never** would have done that to her. Ali was my friend. One of my best friends." _

_Jason tilted his head at her. "A convenient story, don't you think? After all, you **are**the one who jetted off to Iceland for a year right after Ali went missing."_

_"Because my dad-"_

_Jason shook his head at her. He walked over to her and covered her mouth with his hand. "I know what your sorry excuse for a father did with his student. I really don't care. What I care about is knowing why you killed my sister."_

_"I didn't!" Aria spat._

_Jason shoved her backwards. _

Aria settled gingerly into a chair in the waiting room of the station. The cops wanted to ask her parents a few questions before they left, and there was paperwork to be signed and filed before she could leave as well.

She winced as she leaned back against the chair's back. It was covered with cloth and cushioning, but Jason had been less than gentle with her.

When she looked back up at the TV again, they were still talking about her. Hanna and Spencer flashed across the screen a moment later, pushing cameras away from them as they walked off in a different direction.

_Aria came to, with her hands tied to the wall she was slumped up against. She groaned as she forced herself to stand up straight. How Jason had managed to get her hands and arms tied with her standing up straight was beyond her own understanding. All she knew was that her body was sore. How much time had passed? _

"_Glad to see you're awake." _

_She looked around the darkened room. By the little that she could make out the shadows of, she knew that it was probably well into the night. She didn't know how long it had been down, but she knew that it was more than a few minutes by the fact that he had moved her. _

"_Let me go," she pleaded. "My parents-"_

_"Are going to know what it's like for my parents to keep living without their child every day if you don't start giving me some answers," Jason replied._

_Aria shook her head. Tears started to build up on the rims of her eyelids. "I don't know what happened to her, Jason. I wish I did. I wish every day that I could bring Ali back because even as frustrating as she was, she was such a great friend. Probably the best I ever had."_

_"Until you met that rapist you call a boyfriend."_

_"Ezra is __**not** a rapist!"_

_Aria slammed back against the wall as Jason dodged at her, gripping both of her forearms roughly and tightly. His face was looming just an inch away from her own. His expression was one of a crazed person. _

"_I __**told **__you not to scream or yell anymore."_

_"Then let me go," Aria begged him._

_Jason shook his head at her. He tilted his head down, taking several deep breaths. Aria shuddered at how close he was to her. _

"_You know, it would be a lot harder to break you, but somehow in the midst of all of this, I let myself think you were pretty. Beautiful, even. And somewhere inside, I started to think maybe there was a chance with you. Maybe you __**weren't**__ the one who killed Ali. But then I saw you with that guy. You're nothing but a tease, Aria. But I have ways of making you talk if you want to make it out of here in one piece, with everything still… intact." _

_As he spoke, Jason ran his hands up and down her sides. He pushed his hand up her skirt slightly with his continuously rough hands, only to pull them away when he was finished taunting her. _

"_Why don't you think on that for a while." _

Aria pushed up out of her chair and walked over to the receptionist counter. "Are they going to be much longer," she asked wearily.

The receptionist looked up at her. Aria could tell as soon as the woman saw her, that she already knew who she was. "I'm sorry, dear. They wanted to ask your parents some questions about Mr. DeLaurentis, and they were going to have them sign the discharge papers as well. It could be a bit longer. I'm sure Detective Wilden will be along in a few minutes."

Aria sighed and whimpered softly. She turned away from the woman and walked towards the hallway a few feet away. Barely a foot inside the hallway was the women's bathroom. Aria pushed the door open as she pulled her phone from her bag. She jumped back when she realized she'd bumped into someone.

"S-sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't apologize," the brunette girl in front of her said. She looked familiar, but Aria couldn't put her finger on it. The large sunglasses covering her eyes didn't give much away, either. "Seems like you're a real hero," she said.

Aria shrugged, scrolling through her phone. "Yeah, I guess. Whatever. He's a crazed lunatic."

"Yeah," the girl replied. "You probably saved someone else's live besides your own, though. Who knows who he would've hurt, given the chance. Maybe even someone in his own family."

Aria was too busy trying to find Ezra's number among her contacts to look up and reply.

"Be safe, Aria."

The girl walked out after that comment, leaving Aria standing there. It wasn't until almost a full minute later that it phased Aria who might've been standing right in front of her.

_Night was not her friend. With each passing hour, her body ached more and more from standing and being bound the way she was. Even though she could move her legs, her arms were tied in the 'Y' sign on either side of her head, from her wrists to her shoulders. There was very little she could do to move. Hell, she couldn't even scratch her nose. _

_When morning came, she was no further along in an idea to get Jason off her case as she had been the night before. She also had no idea how she was going to get free of her restraints. _

_She wasn't sure how long she stood there. Every sound she heard though, registered as possible danger. She knew that when Jason came back, he was likely to hurt her. _

Aria walked back into the waiting room of the police station and looked around. No sign of her parents. No sign of Detective Wilden. She huffed and walked back over to her chair and sat down. She held her arms close to her torso as she sat there, and rocked gently back and forth. Jason may not have done much beyond rough her up, but that wasn't for lack of trying.

_He left her standing there for well over twelve hours. Aria was so drained by the time he returned, her eyes were barely able to focus. They were twitching quite a bit and she was struggling to keep them open. She was mentally kicking herself for not sleeping when he had left the night before, even though she had had no idea when he'd be back. _

_When he finally did return, he didn't look happy. The malicious look he'd had on his face the day before was back, and he looked ready to hurt her. _

"_Are you ready to talk?" He growled as he walked towards her. _

"_I swear, Jason. I don't know anything." She looked him clear in the eyes as she spoke, praying he would take her at face value. _

_He stepped up in front of her and placed his hands on her hips. "Tell the truth, Aria."_

_She nodded, feeling tears in her eyes. "I am. Please, Jason."_

_"Please what," he enticed her. "Please make you talk? I've tried. Maybe I should do what you did to me and my family, Aria. Maybe I should take something from you." _

"_No," she cried, shaking her head. _

_Jason nodded. "Yes. Maybe I should take the one thing that I know you so desperately want to give to that teacher of yours."_

_He moved his hands down to her skirt, and ran his hands under it, rubbing the outsides of her thighs. Aria shuddered._

_"Stop," she begged him. Her voice was raw with fear. "Don't do this." _

"_Why did you kill Ali," he countered. _

"_I didn't!" Aria sobbed. _

_Jason shook his head, clucking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in a disapproving manner. "C'mon Aria. Don't keep lying to yourself. I don't want to hurt you." _

_She glared at him. "I don't know what happened to Ali, and if you won't listen to that, then there's nothing else I can do to stop you."_

_Jason clenched his jaw and gripped her hips tightly in his hands._

_"Except maybe this," Aria said quickly. She swung her leg forward. Jason clamped his thighs together and caught it before she could get him. _

"_Stupid girl," he snarled. _

_Jason shoved her leg back down and knelt down on one knee. In the darkness, Aria couldn't see what he was doing, but she felt some kind of metal wrap around her left ankle. A moment later, the same kind of metal wrapped around her right. She tried to move them, but only succeeded in nearly losing her balance. _

"_What are you doing," she questioned fearfully. _

"_Taking what's mine," Jason seethed as he stood back up. He wrapped one hand around her neck and gripped her pinned right wrist against the wall. He pressed his body up against hers and ground their hips together. _

_Aria shook her head, suddenly finding a fresh wave of determination. She yanked hard on her rope restraints. Even though they burned like hell, she slowly began to make progress with her left arm. _

_He squeezed her throat tighter and twisted her wrist roughly. Aria yelped and coughed. Jason released her throat a moment later and moved his hands down towards her skirt. _

"_Don't," she begged again. _

_He looked up at her with cold eyes. He looked back down a moment later and began pulling on the zipper keeping the garment on her waist. When he had it all the way down, the loosened fabric dropped off her hips and fell until it couldn't anymore because of her spread legs._

_Jason reached between them and hooked a finger into her panties while his other hand ran up the inside of her shirt and cupped one of her breasts. He teased the nipple as he pushed her panties aside and pressed his fingers up against her clit. _

"_Stop, stop, stop! STOP!" _

_Aria screamed at the top of her lungs, and Jason removed his fingers from inside of her, only to bring his hand up to punch her already bruised left cheek._

"_Shut. Up." _

The door had been kicked open a moment later by Detective Wilden, and seconds later, Jason was tackled to the floor while detective Wilden unchained her and made an EMT bring her a blanket.

Nothing was said between the two of them in those few seconds, or in the hours that followed with Aria at the hospital.

He had only checked the DeLaurentis house on Spencer's insistent 'gut feeling' that there was something that wasn't right about Jason. Finding Aria there was the last thing he had expected.

Detective Wilden walked out of the interview room with Aria's parents. He'd spent the better part of the last few hours apologizing profusely for ever insinuating Aria had anything to do with Alison's death. With her statement, the Rosewood PD had set a new course of action that rested prominently on investigating Jason.

Aria looked over as the officer placed a clipboard stacked with paperwork on the receptionist's counter and murmured something to her. He turned back a moment later and repeated another apology, giving Aria an honest look of sorrow. His regret of how much he had overlooked was clear.

Detective Wilden walked away a few seconds later, back into his office. Aria's gaze shifted to her parents, and they began to walk towards her. She furrowed her brow when the stopped suddenly after having only walked a few feet, and not the entire stretch of to the waiting room.

"Ezra," Ella said softly.

Aria whipped her head around at the sound of her love's name.

There he stood, in the door way, much like he had just two months earlier. In the same black jacket. His shirt was unbuttoned, just like it had been that night, but instead of blue, it was crimson. He wore a black t-shirt under it.

"Ezra." Aria's voice was so soft, it was almost a whisper. Partly because of the fact that she was so surprised to see him standing there in a public setting in front of her, and partly because of what Jason's abuse had done to her throat and vocal chords from screaming and being choked.

They stared at each other for well over a minute. Dozens of emotions ran through Aria as she stood there. She could feel tears running down her face. For the first time, her parents weren't yelling at him to leave. For the first time she was looking at the man she was so desperately and unalterably in love with, and no one was raising an objection. It phased her that her parents had been forced to wonder if she'd been kidnapped, raped, or even killed, to realize that maybe their own lenses were too sharply focused.

She knew that standing there in those few moments that they had been, her parents had realized how much they had tried to fit a round peg in a square hole. They had so quickly judged the situation between Ezra and Aria, that they never fully gave the two a chance. They had forced the two to suffer for almost a month with little contact, because they refused to listen.

Aria shook her head as she stared at him, letting her tears run freely. She was too tired to move at all as he walked towards her and enveloped her in his arms, holding her head gently against his chest as she cried. She grabbed his clothing by the fistful and clung to him.

"I came as soon as I heard," he whispered. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

Aria shook her head again. Finding the words was too much in that moment, but the gesture was enough to try and get across that it wasn't his fault she'd been involved in an attempted kidnapping. All she wanted was to stay with him and never let go.

It may have been seconds, or minutes, but eventually Ella an Byron walked over to them. Aria kept her face buried in Ezra's chest, even though he looked up at them.

"I'm not leaving her again. I swore I wouldn't, months ago. And I let this whole situation pressured me into putting space between us. Look what it almost did."

Ella nodded. "We'd like you to join us back at the house, if you wouldn't mind. And, if it's what Aria wants."

Aria lifted her head slowly from where she had buried it between Ezra's jacket and t-shirt. She looked up at him.

"Only if it's what you want," he whispered.

_**-  
>I wish didn't hold my breath; wish my heart would leave<br>**__**I wish I didn't trust my head, when I'm too tired to breathe  
>- <strong>_

Aria spent a while in the shower after she got home. Even though she had nothing in the form of energy, she desperately felt the need to get clean. Between Jason holding her captive, the hospital probing her every which way, and sitting in the police station, she felt sick with herself.

When she finally got out, she spotted clothes her mother had placed out for her on the counter. Among them were a pair of thin but soft grey sweatpants, and what looked like one of Ezra's Hollis hoodies.

She quickly pulled the clothes on, zipping the sweater all the way up to the top before she walked to her bedroom and pulled a pair of socks and a cap from her top drawer. She quickly slipped on her socks and then pulled the cap down over her wet hair before heading out of her room.

"Hey."

Aria jumped, even though she recognized her brother's voice.

"Sorry," he whispered. He was standing several feet away from her, in the doorway of his room. "Are you okay?"

Aria shrugged. "What's it to you?"

Mike frowned. "I'm really sorry, Aria. About how things have been. For hitting your boyfriend. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."

Aria stared at him with a monotonous attitude, showing little emotion. "Thanks, I guess."

Mike nodded. "Can…Can I just ask you one thing?"

Aria nodded wearily. "What?"

"He makes you happy? Treats you right? Doesn't try and force you to do anything?"

Aria nodded again. "Ezra's a good guy," she said quietly. "He's no Jason."

"Good," Mike replied. He stood there a moment longer and then turned and closed his door.

Aria proceeded to the stairs. She tiptoed down them, but stopped half-way to listen to the conversation taking place.

"…_just want you both to be safe and make smart decisions. This is un-chartered territory for us."  
><em>

"_Believe me." _Ezra's voice was slightly softer than Ella's, but Aria could still hear him. _"This isn't something we're used to either. Aria and I…We just wanted to be given a chance. We didn't want to be shot down. I love your daughter. I've hurt her enough trying to keep this from exploding in our faces. _

_And quite honestly, I don't know whether I make the right decisions anymore. I leave, and I hurt her. I stay and we keep this a secret and she gets hurt. We try to be honest and open with you about it, and she almost got…killed." _

Aria settled down on the stair just above where the wall ended to listen to their conversation. She kept her arms close to her body.

"_It's not just her we're worried for, Ezra." _Byron's voice surprised her. _"This could end badly for either one of you. If you two had sex-"  
><em>

"_We haven't. That's not even in the equation right now."_

_"Even so,"_

Ella countered. _"If something went wrong. Signals got crossed. Someone saw the other person cheat, or what looked like cheating."_

_"It's not just that we don't want Aria to get hurt or end up hurt in a way that's unfixable. This could have irreparable repercussions for you as well."_

_"I know. I've considered them over and over, __**and over** again. As I've said before, I have tried to walk away from this. I tried to figure out a way to make this better, but for some reason, it's meant to be. I wish circumstances were different and that Aria and I were both in the same age group. I wish the law wasn't stacked against us. But I **don't ever** wish that I could go back and not have met her that day in the pub. I mean it."_

It was silent for a few minutes. Aria strained her ears, wondering if they were talking quieter.

"_We can pick this up tomorrow," _Ella said finally. _"It's late._"

Another pause.

"_Considering the circumstances, if it's what Aria would like, you can stay," _Byron said.

"_But that bedroom door stays open," _Ella added firmly.

"_Of course," _Ezra replied.

It was quiet again, and then Aria heard footsteps, but she was too tired to move. She rested against the banister wearily, and watched as Ezra walked over to the doorway and kicked off his shoes. He then turned towards the stairwell and spotted her.

He smirked at her as he climbed the stairs towards her. "Eavesdropping?"

Aria shrugged. She could barely keep her eyes open. "I was coming to get coffee. Couldn't interrupt **that** conversation."

Ezra leaned down and swept her up into his arms, kissing her forehead as she rested it on his shoulder.

"We still need to tread softly," he said. "And make wise decisions. I love you Aria. I don't want to lose you."

She let out a long sigh as he placed her on her bed. Her down comforter felt amazing against her sore body as he shook it out over her. Aria laid her hands down over the blanket. Her wrists were bare since her mother hadn't been up to cover them after her shower.

She closed her eyes, but followed Ezra's footsteps with her ears. A few moments later, she heard another set of footsteps. Her eyes shot open.

Ella waved as she walked into the room with a handful of gauze and ACE bandages. She walked over to Aria and perched on the edge of the bed.

"I'll be quick," she whispered.

Aria closed her eyes again, though she could feel her mother and Ezra working together to get her wrists bandaged up. After a few minutes, they had finished, and she heard her mother leave the room. She opened her eyes again.

"You're not asleep yet," Ezra asked incredulously. "Aria, you're going to make yourself sick from exhaustion."

"Lay with me," she asked softly as Ezra reached over and shut off the beside table lamp.

"Sure."

Aria shifted over on the bed so that she was farther away from her bedroom door. She opened her eyes a second later. "The windows are locked?"

The bed dipped behind her, and she slid back slightly as Ezra slipped under the blankets next to her, in nothing more than his boxers and t-shirt.

"Every window in the house _and_the front and back door," he replied. "You're safe."

Aria shook her head. She rolled over to face him and curled into him. Ezra wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Better?"

"Now it feels safe," she whispered. She shifted her head slightly, until she was in a comfortable position. Mere minutes later, she was asleep. Even as Ezra lay there awake, her parents and Mike moved about the house late into the night, listening and watching for the same things that he was. For a while he was surprised. She made little to no movement as she slept, and the nightmares and crying he expected from what she had been put through, didn't come.

He thought about it for a while, and considered what she had said before she had fallen asleep. That she was safe there. At home? Probably. But he knew what she had really meant was in his arms. Corny as it was, his heart swelled at what it meant. He knew that there wasn't anything better or more important out in the world than what he had sleeping in his arms.

Eventually, not long before the sky started to lighten up, he fell asleep as well, leaving the patrolling to Ella and Byron. They had a long way to go before things would be perfect between all of them, but this was a stepping stone. He knew it was the beginning of what could eventually bring them to all the things that he and Aria wanted with and for each other. It was only a matter of time and patience.


	2. Safe And Sound

**A/N: **Truth be told, I have no idea how long this is going to be. My plan is for it to be less than five chapters, but I will say that it WON'T come before 40 Days. That story is at the forefront of my brain right now. This is something I love as well, but it's not meant to be a long story.

That said, this is obviously slightly AU. I'm putting in a little drabble of my own. AGAIN, this isn't meant to be more than a few chapters.

_Safe And Sound_

"Ezra?"

His eyes opened slowly against the blinding light shining through the window. For a moment, he laid there wondering where the hell he was, because he definitely wasn't in his apartment. Byron repeated his name, though, and everything from the night before started to come flooding back into his memory.

Ezra rolled over on the bed, fighting with everything in him to keep his eyes open. "Hmm?"

"Do you have classes today?"

Ezra looked over at the clock. 8 AM. He moved one of his arms he had wrapped around Aria up to his eyes and rubbed them. "At eleven," he yawned.

"Do you have to go?"

Ezra and Byron turned their attention to Aria, who was pushing herself up into a seated position. She looked as tired as Ezra felt.

"If you don't, you should probably call in to the school, and put together some kind of lesson plan."

Ezra nodded, yawning again. "I'm needing coffee first."

"Ella's put together something for breakfast," Byron replied. "Aria?"

She looked up at her father and nodded. "I'll come down and eat."

Byron turned and walked out of the room. Ezra turned his attention to Aria.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked.

Aria rolled her shoulders and then extended her arms slowly above her in an attempt to stretch her sore muscles. She winced.

"Alright. I didn't kick you or anything, did I?"

Ezra shook his head. "You didn't move much at all." He cupped her face with his left hand and kissed her forehead.

"I probably look like crap," she murmured.

"You look beautiful," he disagreed.

Aria laughed in disbelief. "With the giant bruise on my cheek?"

Ezra nodded. "Looks like it hurts, though."

Aria shrugged. She moved off the bed.

Ezra turned to the edge of the bed and slipped off of it as well, pulling his pants on as he did. He snapped them and zipped them up before following Aria out of the room. He walked a few steps behind her as they walked down to the kitchen.

Once they were on the first floor, Ezra stepped outside to put in a call to Hollis. He didn't give any information beyond a family emergency and agreed to stop in and post his lesson plan.

He walked back in the house and shut the door behind him.

"Ezra, is that you?"

Ezra walked through the sitting room, where Byron was walking towards him.

"I was just calling the administrators office," he explained. He walked into the kitchen, where Ella was placing a plate full of food in front Aria.

"I'm not that hungry, mom."

"Just eat a little bit," Ella coaxed her daughter. "You haven't eaten anything in two days."

Aria sighed and picked up a piece of toast and munched numbly on it.

Ezra walked over to the chair next to Aria's and sat down next to her. He placed his phone on the table, making sure it was turned down to vibrate before he took a plate from Ella.

"Is Mike coming down," Ella asked Byron.

Byron shrugged. "Not sure. He was up until almost five. I told him we'd set something aside if he didn't."

Ella nodded. She grabbed another plate from the counter and began to fill it with various breakfast items.

Ezra filled his plate with a helping of bacon, eggs, and toast and then sat back down next to Aria.

"I have to go in to post a lesson plan for the day, and go home to change, but I can come back after if you want," he said softly to Aria.

"You're leaving?" Her demeanor was nervous.

"Just for an hour," he promised. "I'll go when you go back to sleep."

Ella sat down across the table from them, next to Byron.

"With you both here, we need to talk about your relationship."

Aria looked up at them and dropped her toast on her plate. She picked a piece of bacon off of Ezra's plate and took a bite out of it. She slipped her fingers between his. He squeezed her hand gently, knowing that it was badly sprained.

"Alright," Aria murmured. "What?"

"There needs to be some ground rules," Ella said. "The first one being no sleepovers outside of this house. And absolutely no sex."

Aria shuddered. Ezra turned to her, brushing his thumb lightly against her fingers.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly, biting her bottom lip.

"There's no need to worry about that," Ezra said, turning his attention nervously back to Aria's parents. He had a strong feeling that there was something he needed to know about the night before.

"We understand very much so that what has happened in the last two days was very traumatic for Aria, and that there's a significant role that you'll play in helping her through it, so we aren't really placing any boundaries as to when you're here, as long as it doesn't interfere with her schoolwork. That said, it isn't a free pass to spend every waking moment together. We'd still like to see her spend time with her friends and, should she choose, be involved in school activities."

"I understand," Ezra replied.

"There's not much beyond that," Byron piped in. "Just what we discussed last night. We just want you two to be careful and tread lightly. A lot of things could go wrong and tear this apart."

Ezra nodded, looking back towards Aria. "I promise, there's nothing I won't do to keep her safe."

_-  
>Don't you dare look out your window<br>__Darling, everything's on fire  
>- <em>

Ezra ran his fingers up and down Aria's forearm as he lay back on the reclining sofa. Her legs were stretched out along the length of the his, and she was curled up under a blanket.

He had already made his trip over to Hollis shortly after breakfast, and had scribbled frenziedly the notes for his students before booking it over to his apartment and throwing together a bag of several days worth of clothes before changing and jumping into the shower. By the time he got back to the Montgomery home, it was only 11 AM. Aria was curled up on the couch with Winesburg, Ohio. He was sure it was with the desperate need to do anything to forget whatever had happened the night before. He had offered to lie down with her and watch a movie of her choice, but she had only curled up with her head on his shoulder.

They were currently sharing the down comforter from her bed, and she had her arms curled up tightly against her chest.

"I have to tell you something," she said softly.

Ezra tilted his head towards her. "Alright."

Aria took a deep breath and nuzzled her head further down on his chest. She crossed her arms protectively over her body. "Last night, before Detective Wilden showed up… Jason-"

Ezra lifted her chin to look up at him. "Aria, if he did something you're not comfortable talking about, you don't have to tell me."

She shook her head. "I want you to know."

"Okay," he said softly.

Aria laid her head back down on his chest. "He kept making threats that he had ways of making me talk. That he was going to take something from me. Right before the cops came in, he was about to… to hurt me. But he did things that would've led up to it."

Ezra closed his eyes, trying to well the largest wave of emotional pain he'd ever felt for another person. He tilted his head down and kissed the top of her head. The knot in his chest was torn between crying for her and knowing someone had hurt her, and threatened to do worse, and wanting to kill Jason DeLaurentis.

"God, Aria, I'm so sorry."

"There's more," she said after a moment.

Ezra opened his eyes and looked down at her. "_More?_"

Aria nodded. "Its why my parents freaked out when we told them about us.

Ezra furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

She laid her head back down on her shoulder, but she wasn't quite as withdrawn. He could see that her talking about what Jason had done to her had helped a bit.

"When I was a freshman, I had this teacher. Mr. Henderson. He was young. Not as young as you; he was like thirty. All the girls were head over heels for him, and wanted to be his favourite.

I was struggling when I first started the year because they put me in the AP class, and it was too much with everything that was going on with my dad. Half-way through the semester, they put me in regular English, and it was in his class. He offered to help me get caught up and even help me work towards AP English 2, if that's what I wanted.

At first, I took the help because I thought he really wanted to help me. But he started to make advances, which I denied. It got worse though, and all built up until February of that year. He tried to force me to have sex with him, so I kicked him. He got mad and broke my arm. He also broke the glass window in the door, which is what led to everyone finding out. They fired him right after that."

Aria leaned against the couch as she looked up at Ezra. "I thought about how my parents would compare you to him so much when we were keeping it a secret. Even though I knew it wasn't like that, I knew that's how they would see it. It terrified me, too. Sometimes I just wanted to be with you so bad, and then I would think about that, and it scared me."

Ezra shook his head, caressing her bruised cheek. "Aria, I would **never** make you do something you weren't comfortable with. I understand 'no' and 'stop'."

"I just wanted you to know," she whispered. "You're the only person I can trust like that. You're the only person I trust with all of me."

Ezra curled his fingers under her chin and pulled her closer, kissing her softly. Aria kissed him back for a moment and then pulled away and yawned.

"Now I'd like to sleep."

"Okay," Ezra complied. "Here or in your bed?"

Aria shrugged. "Here for now. Too tired to climb the stairs."

Ezra chuckled. Truth be told, he was exhausted too. He'd only gotten about four hours of sleep earlier. He turned onto his side, letting her have more room, and wrapped his arms around her. Aria snuggled up against him, burying her face in the crook of his neck next to his throat.

Ezra awoke several hours later with a shrill pain between his legs. His eyes shot up just in time for Aria's second kick to connect. He coughed in an attempt to suck in air, while simultaneously trying to push off of the couch and not wake her.

Not so effectively, he rolled over the side of the couch and hit the floor with a thump.

"What's- Ezra?"

Ella dashed across the room, looking over the side of the couch to see Aria kicking and thrashing in her sleep. She knelt down, placing a hand on Ezra's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Ezra's eyes were wide with pain as he nodded, still trying to catch his breath. Ella stood and leaned over the arm of the couch, shaking Aria's shoulder.

"Aria, sweetie, wake up. It's just a dream. Aria!"

Aria opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing the sleep from them. "Hmm?"

Ezra gulped, pushing himself up into a seated position on the floor.

"Why are you down _there_," she asked, peaking over the side of the couch.

"I rolled off," he fibbed. "Had to get away from your swinging legs."

"Oops?" Aria looked down at him, biting her bottom lip. "I'm sorry."

"I think next time I'll avoid the flying kicks," he replied, teasing slightly. He reached up and grabbed the arm of the couch, using it to pull himself up.

"We ordered pizza," Ella said, pointing to the kitchen. She turned and walked out of the room.

Ezra pushed himself to his feet and offered his hand to Aria. She pulled the lever on the side of the couch, forcing the seat back into an upright position. She took Ezra's hand and got up. He turned towards the kitchen, but she pulled on his hand.

Ezra turned back to her. "What?"

Aria bit the inside of her cheek for a moment. "I wanted to… try something."

"Okay?"

She took a step towards him and placed a hand on his cheek. She was hesitant, and almost reconsidered, but she stepped up to him and kissed him.

Ezra placed his hands gently on her hips, kissing her back. Aria looped her hands around his neck, opening her mouth when his tongue brushed against her bottom lip. Ezra pulled back suddenly when Byron's throat clearing piped in.

"Sorry," he murmured.

Aria chuckled, kissing his strawberry-shaded cheeks. "Sorry, dad."

"Are you coming to eat?" He asked, averting his gaze.

Aria turned Ezra around and pushed him towards the kitchen. She grabbed him again when Byron had turned around and walked back towards the kitchen.

"What was that all about?" Ezra asked, a small smile lingering on his lips.

Aria dropped her shoulder, shrugging. "I just, I don't want to be afraid of you, because of Jason. I wanted to make sure I felt okay with you."

Ezra placed his hand on the back of her head and kissed her forehead. Aria wrapped her arms around his back and hugged him.

After a long few seconds, they pulled apart and walked into the kitchen. Ezra followed Aria over to the island and they picked up a plate before grabbing slices of pizza.

"So you guys are officially official," Mike asked.

Aria nodded tentatively as she walked over to the table. Ezra joined her a moment later after stealing a few breadsticks from the food on the island. He sat down next to her like he had that morning.

"Your father and I are going to go back to work tomorrow," Ella said a moment later. "But since it'll be Friday, you're more than welcome to take the weekend, Aria."

Ezra's eyes grew as he looked over at her. She had her hand settled dangerously high on his thigh, and was teasing the hem of his pant-leg with her toes.

"No, it's fine," Aria insisted. "I've already missed three days."

"I've got meetings most of tomorrow evening," Ella said.

"And I've got a PTA meeting." Byron added.

Ezra moved his free hand under the table and pushed her hand down slightly. She looked over at him.

"I'll just go over to Hollis after," Aria replied. "Do some of my homework in Ezra's office, if that's okay."

Ezra stared back at her, interlacing his fingers with hers. "That's fine."

_-  
>I can see it from the spark in your eyes<br>__You believe in all the things you deny  
>- <em>

Ezra shook his head, walking into Aria's room from her adjacent bathroom. He hit the light switch as he did so and walked over to her bed.

"Are you _trying_ to put my head back on your father's chopping block?" He asked. "We **just** got their approval to be out in the open with them!"

Aria smirked at him from under her blankets. "Are you saying you never want me to touch you when they're around?"

"I didn't say that," Ezra countered, sitting down on top of the blankets. "Do you _really_ want to insinuate sexual predicaments at the dinner table with your parents, though?"

"Nobody dropped a fork," Aria replied.

"Aria." Ezra's voice was stern. "It seems like you're rushing things because you don't want me to feel like you haven't been affected by everything you told me about today."

"Ezra-"

"No," he cut her off. "I'm not here to pressure you into anything. I'm happy to go along just as we have been."

"Alright," she said. There was a slight annoyance her voice. "But have you considered that maybe I _am_ okay? That maybe I'm **not** insecure about this? Us?"

"You **kicked** me. In a very painful spot, I might add."

Aria huffed, crossing her arms. "I can't decide what I dream about, Ezra."

"No," he agreed. He placed his hand on her cheek, turning her head to face him. "But you can't tell me that you haven't been thinking a _lot_ about those things."

"How long do I have to wait until you decide it's okay for me to want to be with you?" She argued. "Until the bruises are gone? Until my wrist heals? Until graduation?"

"Aria-"

"No!" She yelled. "Why is it that I have to be damaged or mental just because Jason didn't have his head on straight? He stalked me and my friends for months! Tried to kill Hanna and Emily! So why, Ezra? Why do I have to be so damn screwed up?"

Ezra moved off the bed. His jaw was clenched in anger. "I **never** said anything about you being damaged or mental, and you don't have to tell me **anything**about being screwed up!"

Aria stared at him, her mouth agape and her stance angry. She slumped down a moment later and closed her mouth. "Ezra…"

He shook his head. "No, I think I'll go tonight. I'll- I'll see you tomorrow."

_-  
>I'm breathing in, breathing out<br>__Ain't that what it's all about  
>- <em>

Aria walked up to Ezra's door and placed her hand on the handle. The door was slightly ajar, and she moved to open it more. She stopped when she heard Hardy's voice.

"_So what's the big deal," _Hardy asked. _"I thought you guys were good now. Her parents know…"_

"Her parents know, and apparently we're at each others throats because of what happened to her."

"I digress! How does that have anything to her parents?"

"It doesn't,

Ezra sighed. _"Aria knows things, though." _

"_Well shouldn't she?" _Hardy asked. _"I mean, you guys have been together almost a year. Secrets only stay secrets so long, Ezra. Especially with you two. I'm sure you read too much into whatever it is that she said to upset you." _

"_No," _Ezra disagreed. _"She thinks I expect her to be damaged or mental, as she put it. And I don't, but I don't think she gets that. With my d-"_

"_When you're falling down,  
><em>_The world starts spinning out,  
><em>_You, when you're falling down  
><em>_Now it's not all about you-"_

The music stopped just as quickly as it started.

"_Jackie?" _Hardy asked incredulously. _"What's that psycho want?" _

Aria chuckled softly, shaking her head. Even Hardy saw how nuts she was.

"_I don't know," _Ezra replied. _"I may have __**thought**__of calling her in a moment of weakness. I didn't."_

"_**Weakness**__? What exactly do you mean by weakness?"_

"_Jackie knows things, too, man. I wanted to do something to divert myself from punching a wall."_

_"I see that didn't work very well," _Hardy insinuated.

Aria peered inside the room, pushing the door open slightly more. A black brace was on Ezra's right wrist.

"_I wasn't going to lose my girlfriend because I called my bat-shit crazy ex. Jackie almost ended our relationship as it was." _

Aria decided to make that her moment to enter the room. She pushed the door open, knocking audibly several times as she did. "I'm not interrupting?"

Ezra and Hardy shook their heads.

"So I'll get that book back to you soon, man," Ezra said.

Hardy nodded. "Any time, dude. I gotta meet a girl for lunch anyway." He waved at Aria. "Good to see you again."

"You too," Aria said, waving back at him as he walked past her.

Hardy stopped at the door and looked up at her. "Sorry, about that guy trying to kill you. I saw the news."

Aria shrugged, feeling awkward. "He's in jail now, so…thanks?"

Hardy nodded, waving once more to the both of them before walking out of the room and pulling the door shut behind him.

Aria turned back to Ezra. "Ezra, I'm so sorry. I never meant-"

He shook his head. "I know you didn't. Damaged, mental and screwed up, you know. They bring up a lot of memories."

"Of your dad," she replied. "I remember."

_Aria knelt on the cushion she was seated on the couch, facing Ezra's sleeping area as he dug through a drawer for a clean shirt. _

"_Can I ask you something?" _

_He looked up at her and nodded, scratching his chin. "Anything."_

_"How'd you get that scar on your shoulder?"_

_Ezra finally pulled a t-shirt out of his drawer and pulled it on. "I, ah, took my brother's BB gun without asking." He grabbed his dirty towel off his bed._

_Aria furrowed her brow. "That doesn't really look like a gun-"_

_"It's not," Ezra countered. He walked over to the couch and leaned against it. Aria stared up at him. _

"_My dad, um," he looked down at the towel he held in his hands from his shower. "He had a lot of anger issues and stuff like that. He wasn't great at keeping things bottled up."_

_"So he cut you?" Aria asked._

_Ezra turned around and dropped down onto the balls of his feet. "I don't want to tell you this if it's going to upset you." _

_She shook her head at him. "I'm not upset. What happened." _

"_He threw a knife," Ezra replied. "It slid off, but I had to have stitches. When my parents got divorced, he kinda fell off the face of the earth. Haven't heard from him since." _

"I don't really want to talk about this," Ezra said after a moment. "I'm sorry, If I made you feel like you have to be affected by what you've been through. I just thought you would be."

Aria walked over to his desk. She settled her bag against it and grabbed his injured hand with her own bandaged hand. "I am. But not enough that I don't want to be near you or with you. And I would never want to upset you so much to make you punch a wall and hurt yourself. Again."

"Sprained wrists and bruised knuckles heal," he replied. "We've got a lot of things to work through, Aria, but I'd like it if we did it together."

"Me too," she agreed.

"I do love you," he said. "Regardless of what you've been through."

"I love you too," Aria said.

Ezra tilted her chin up to him. He kissed her softly, but quickly.

He looked up at the clock when he pulled away from her. "I have a class in two minutes. You'll be here when I get back?"

Aria nodded. "Rearranging your bookshelf," she teased.

Ezra grabbed a large book off the desk. "Good luck. I'm pretty sure there are a few doubles in there, and a couple of the teachers books are like five pounds."

Aria smiled, leaning across his desk and watched as he walked out of the room. A lot had happened in two months, but things felt right. And damaged or not, Ezra was there for her just as much as she was there for him.


	3. Skipping Stone

**A/N: **HEY LOOK! A NEW CHAPTER! Yall know that I didn't update this since originally posting it because I never intended it to be more than two chapters. However, since I have some friends (coughcough) who have NOT let me forget about this story, I'm giving it a new twist. I don't know how long it will be. I'm hoping less than ten chapters. Anyway, now ya'll will just have to cope with what I post **when **I post it. That is all! :) Do enjoy!

_Skipping Stone_

_**Six Months Later**_

Aria yawned as she closed her English textbook and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. "Are you ever going to be done typing?" She asked as she looked up at Ezra.

"Five more minutes," he said in the same monotonous voice he used when he was working. She wasn't even sure he was aware of the fact that he'd been focused more on the computer than her for more than two hours. She'd finished all her homework _and _started work on the following day's math assignment. She was bored out of her mind.

She reached for the remote on the coffee table and then curled her feet under her, smoothing down the dark red dress she was wearing as she settled, before turning on the TV. After a few seconds, sound and picture came through; an infomercial was playing. She began clicking through channels until she landed on the news.

"_The DeLaurentis family still has no comment on the release fact that their only child still alive __–__ Jason DeLaurentis __–__ has been officially moved to the state penitentiary, set to serve a sentence of twelve years. Mr. DeLaurentis was incarcerated earlier this year after holding a young woman captive for more than twenty-four hours. He was later charged with assault among a myriad of other charges, including voyeurism against four young females. He still has yet to say anything beyond the fact that he claims innocence. Investigations are still going on as to whether he had anything to do with his sister, Alison DeLaurentis' disappearance." _

Aria stared at the TV screen absentmindedly as her mind replayed the events after Jason had been arrested. She didn't spend very much time thinking about him and where he'd landed himself, but she couldn't shake the question of whether Alison had been in that bathroom with her that night. She had been so tired that for all she knew, she was just over exaggerating her own memories. Still, there had been something about that girl….

It wasn't as if things hadn't changed in the past six months anyway. Plenty of things had changed. Spencer and Toby had broken up, and she'd started seeing Wren. Emily and Maya were together, but not without their own troubles. Maya was constantly in one tiff or another with Paige out of jealousy, and Aria had witnessed more than one fight among during which Emily told Maya she was getting sick of the jealousy. And then there was Hanna and Caleb, who seemed to be just as in love as ever before.

Sometimes Aria felt out of place among her friends. They all seemed to have successfully moved on pass the issue of 'A' since Jason's arrest. Granted, that wasn't to say that they didn't flinch when their phone rang, but she doubted they spent the amount of time dwelling on the things she did.

"Alright, I'm done."

Aria shook her head, coming out of her reverie and looking up at Ezra. "Hmm?"

He stared at her for a long moment before apparently shaking off whatever thought process he'd had, and walking over to her.

In the beginning after she'd been rescued and she would stare off into space, he would sometimes question what she was thinking about. But the moments where she stared off into space, contemplating things she didn't know how to put into words grew, and eventually he stopped asking what it was that was on her mind.

"Did you want to get dinner?" He asked. "I'm feeling like Italian tonight."

Aria nodded, turning the TV off.

Ezra stared at Aria as he munched on a French fry. Though she had the perception that he had given up caring what she thought about when she stared off to space – which she was doing right at that moment – it was far from the truth.

In the last six months, he'd watched her change from the girl he had known when he'd met her thirteen months previously at Snookers. It wasn't necessarily that anything changed so seriously that it was anything bad. She still smiled and laughed. She still did all the things that made her Aria. But she was still different, too. She no longer was so quick to voice her thoughts, and instead had become quite pensive.

On the contrary to what she believed though, he still very much so cared about what she was thinking. The hard part was the fact that she didn't tend to share those thoughts. She often shrugged them off and told him that they weren't important. He didn't want to press her to share something she wasn't ready for, so he instead left her to keep that information for herself until such a time when she felt like sharing. Unfortunately, he was still waiting.

Her fingers pulled idly on a strand of her hair as she stared down at some random spot on the table. She said nothing, but he could see her lips move every now and then. Her brow furrowed in the slightest, and then her forehead was straight once more as she shook her head, apparently discarding the thought.

"Is the peanut gallery not giving the right answers?" Ezra asked as he picked up his drink to take a sip from it.

Aria looked up at him, surprised at his sudden interruption to her thought process. She bit her lip for a moment. "Sorry. I don't mean to…"

He shook his head. "Don't be. I just worry whether something's affecting you."

Aria shook her head. "I just have all these questions about Ali now, and I don't have anyone to talk to about them. It makes me feel stupid."

"I don't think you're stupid for having questions," he replied. "It's been six months and I **still **don't understand what that… _person_, could have been thinking. What **any **of the people in this town who thought you girls were to blame for her death, was thinking. I don't think any of you are capable of being that vicious."

Aria managed a small smile. "Certainly took the police department long enough to clue into that."

"I never understood that," Ezra replied with a sigh as he shook his head. He looked down at her food and then at his own plate. Their food had long run cold, and while he was still hungry, there was no point sitting there trying to eat cold food. He lifted his head up to wave down a waitress.

"You want to go get ice cream?" He asked as he pulled his wallet from his pocket.

Aria chuckled. "Reward our barely-eaten cold dinner with ice cream? You've met me right?"

Ezra grinned, pulling out two ten dollar bills and placing them on the table. "That's why I asked."

A waitress walked up a few moments later and handed Ezra the bill before heading off to get to-go containers for them. Once she had, he moved his own food to one of the containers while Aria did the same, and then handed the waitress the two bills along with the cheque before they headed out of the restaurant.

They walked over to Ezra's car once they were outside, and Ezra placed their containers in the back seat before he closed the door and wrapped his arm around Aria, letting his hand come to rest on her hip. He chuckled as her hand slipped in the back pocket of his jeans while they walked down the block. They had long stopped hiding their relationship in public, after he had been with her during multiple meetings with the police in the past few months about Jason.

"I really want that double fudge blizzard they've got out right now," Aria said as she snuggled against him a bit more. The sun was starting to set, and taking the heat with it.

Ezra ran his arm up and down her side as they reached the ice cream parlour. He opened the door for her before stepping aside to let her walk in. As she did, her hand easily moved from his backside to his palm, never breaking contact.

"Are you asking for a sugar coma?" He asked as he stepped in beside her. With his free hand, he unzipped his sweater and then released Aria's hand long enough to pull the sweater off. He offered it up to her. She blushed as she giggled before taking it and slipping it on.

"Maybe," she replied as she slipped her arms into the overly-large sleeves. While Ezra couldn't possibly weigh more than a hundred and sixty pounds, his height and muscular frame certainly filled out the sweater a lot better than her own tiny, lithe frame.

They stepped up to the counter, and Ezra ordered a simple chocolate double-scoop in a waffle cone before turning to Aria, who ordered a large serving of the double fudge chocolate chip blizzard she'd been speaking of just moments before. As if the sugar intake with the mixture wasn't enough, she insisted the ice cream be chocolate as well.

"I'm so glad I don't live with you yet," Ezra chuckled as he handed over a bill to the cashier.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Aria cried as she smacked his shoulder.

Ezra laughed as he looked at her. "It means that I don't want to be around when the height of that sugar high hits you, and you're buzzing like the energizer bunny."

Aria only laughed at him, shaking her head as they stepped aside a few feet to let the next people in line put their order in.

"Well then maybe when I move in with you I should make sure the place is always stocked with ice cream," she teased as she leaned into him.

Ezra chuckled, wrapping his arm around her and rubbing his hand up and down her back.

A worker walked up a few seconds later and placed Aria's ice cream on the counter before handing Ezra his cone wrapped in about a dozen napkins. He offered a few to Aria, and then they turned and walked out of the building.

"This ice cream is amazing," Aria muttered over a mouthful of the creamy treat, sending chocolate onto her chin as she did so. Ezra shook his head at her as he continued to laugh. He reached up and wiped away the dripping liquid from her chin while he licked his own ice cream.

"You're messier than a child," he reprimanded lightly.

Aria looked over him and sent the smallest version of a glare that was intended to tell him that in some ways, she still **was **a child. She knew that he was only joking though, and that he accepted the juvenile parts about her.

By the time they had returned to his car, Ezra had finished off his ice cream, while Aria was still working her way through the first half of hers. Her face however, was coated in a nice layer of melted ice cream, threatening to drip onto the eighty dollar sweater he'd given her to put on.

"You know, if you can't be bothered to keep your face clean, I might just have to do something about that," Ezra said as he towered over Aria, bracing his hands against the hood of the car as he stared down at her.

"Oh really? What're you going to do to me?" She taunted in the huskiest voice she could manage.

Ezra brushed his nose against hers and then leaned back slightly, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I've got a few ideas."

Aria stared into his darkening eyes, and she couldn't help but smile before leaning up to kiss him. As soon as she did, one of Ezra's hands moved off the car and slipped around her. His hand moved down her back until it came to rest just over her butt.

"Wow. You really are still trying to buy your grades."

Aria shuddered against Ezra as she suddenly turned her head to the side, abruptly breaking their kiss.

At first, he was confused. There had been many occasions in the past few months where they'd been victims of similar comments, which left him sorely in the position of not understanding why that particular one had bothered her. But as he looked up and into the eyes of the person whose mouth it had come from, he realized it was not a boy, but a man.

"You really shouldn't count yourself lucky," he said as he stared at Ezra. "You're really **not **her first."

"I'm pretty sure you got fired for what you tried to do," Ezra replied quickly, though he made no move to step towards the man or away from Aria, who was still staring in the other direction.

He only laughed in response. "I may have gotten fired, but it certainly wasn't for the story that the little princess told everyone. She's a liar, and if she'll lie about some secret relationship, she'll lie about a whole lot more."

Aria rubbed her hands up and down her calves as she sat on Ezra's bed. She was still in her dress and tights, though she'd given Ezra his sweater back.

She had been genuinely surprised when, instead of coming to blows with Mr. Henderson, he only pushed Aria towards the passenger door and then walked around the car, got in, and drove away. After they had arrived back at his apartment, he had dismissed himself for a shower. She knew he had gone to take one in an effort to calm down, because even if he didn't say it, the older man had pissed him off.

The bathroom door opened a few seconds later, and she looked up as Ezra walked out. He'd taken clothes into the bathroom with him, and was already dressed, which told her he was more than angry. He was furious.

"Can we talk about it now?" She asked softly.

Ezra walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, facing away from her. "Did he try to hurt you the-… The stories I've been told. They're true?"

Aria nodded, still running her hands over her legs. "Yes. But it was more complicated than that."

Ezra turned his head to look at her. "Then _un_complicate it for me, Aria. Because I don't understand why he's insinuating the things he is to **me**, when it's not going to get him anywhere."

Aria nodded again, looking down at her knees as her arms moved under her legs, wrapping around until her hands rested on her thighs. "All the stuff I told you in the past is true. He said he wanted to help me, and he started making passes at me, which I turned down…"

"But?"

"Not at first," she replied shamefully. When she heard Ezra sigh heavily, she quickly looked up at him. "It wasn't the same thing, Ezra! He said things that got so into my head… How I could trust him, and how any other guy would just lie to me like my dad."

"So what happened?" Ezra asked gruffly. He was still staring at the wall, away from her.

"He made passes at me," Aria replied in the same soft voice as before. "He'd touch my leg, or my arm, or something like that when he was helping me with the homework. The first time he kissed me, I panicked. I told Alison, and she…" She paused, exhaling a sigh. Alison **never **had good advice.

"She what?" Ezra asked as he finally looked at her again. He'd heard plenty of Alison horror stories to know that she was a slimy person.

"She told me that I should milk it for all it was worth; that he'd probably move onto another student soon, and I should turn him in **then**." Aria explained. "I realize how dumb that sounds now, but my parents…" She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as tears filled her eyes.

"So what really happened?" Ezra asked in a soft tone. Angry as he was, he knew that it wasn't at her. He was angry at the situation, and at her parents for, yet again, missing something so clearly in front of their faces.

"Things…continued," she said softly. "Everything would be professional during the school day, but then he would change _after_ school. He started tutoring me in his office so that we could be alone." Her voice trembled as she stared down at the blanket, tears filling her eyes. "It stopped being about the work, and started being about what he wanted from me."

Ezra's hands clenched into fists as he stared at a random spot on the blanket. "Did you….O-or did he-…Did you ever…?"

"No," she replied, clearing her throat and looking up at Ezra. "I mean, not for lack of trying on his part. He wanted to, but I was scared, and every time he would try to….insinuate… I would tense up so much that he'd get mad at me and tell me to leave."

"So how did it all end then," Ezra asked.

Aria gulped. "I didn't want him to move on to someone else, so I asked if he could help me with an assignment. When I showed up that night, I told him that I wanted to…." She paused for about a minute, struggling to say the next few words. "When he started trying to-t…to remove clothes, I panicked. I couldn't do it, and he got mad. He started telling me how I was stupid and worthless and I deserved all the things going on with my parents and," she paused, exhaling a deep breath. "All the things that abusive people tell their partners. He kept trying to push me further though. I got knocked around a little, and then I finally managed to kick him. I made a run for it, but he caught me. That's when he broke my arm. We fell into the door though, and, I don't even remember how… I got away from him somehow, and he wasn't going to let me through, so I picked up the biggest textbook I could hold in one hand and threw it at him. I don't know if it hit the window, or his head did. All I know is the next thing that I knew, he was screaming at me because his head was bleeding, and someone heard him yelling. After that, it was over."

Ezra was quiet for a long time, taking in everything she'd told him. He knew that logically there was a difference between everything that they had and what she was telling him. This man was on the same level as Jason, if not lower. And yet a part of him couldn't help but wonder why Aria hadn't felt safe enough to tell him this sooner.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this when we went to your parents? Or when…." He shook his head, unable to shake off the anger as he looked up at her. "There were so many times, Aria. You should've said something."

For as angry as Ezra felt, he knew he couldn't stay mad at her. It was that reason alone that led him to the Montgomery's doorstep the following morning. He'd barely slept, and he hadn't taken much time to get ready for work, which reflected upon him. His hair was a curly mess, and he had opted for dressy casual. Instead of his normal formal ensemble of dress pants and a dress shirt, he'd settled on dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, with a simple grey vest over it. The vest wasn't even buttoned yet.

The door opened a few moments later, and though Ella said nothing, she stepped aside and granted him access.

"Did Aria tell you-" He asked as he stepped into the house.

"That you ran into that pedophile last night," Ella finished gruffly. "Yes. I've got half a mind to keep her home from school today, but I don't really feel like that's going to solve the problem at hand."

"What does she want to do?" Ezra asked as he followed Ella through the house and into the kitchen. As they walked in, Byron offered him a cup of coffee. Ezra took it gratefully and lifted it to his lips, swallowing a large, piping hot gulp.

"Aria wants to hide in her room and stay there until she leaves for college," Ella replied as she walked over to the table and picked up her own cup of coffee.

"I'm just going to have her come to Hollis with us," Byron said with a frustrated sigh. "She can't stay here alone, and if she won't go to school, then that's the only option. We have corresponding schedules, so there's no reason she should have to ever be alone."

"If that's the plan, then I should get going," Ella said as she took one more long drink from her coffee cup. She walked over to the sink and settled it inside before walking over to the table and picking her things up. "Tell Aria to call me if she needs anything."

Byron and Ezra both nodded, understanding that she meant if she needed to talk about things only another female would understand.

Ella exited the room a few moments later, and shortly after that, Aria ascended from the stairwell, carrying a messenger bag over her shoulder. She was dressed in black skinny jeans, and had on Ezra's sweater from the night before. She stared at him for a few moments before she rushed over to him and buried her face in his chest. Ezra could fee the wetness on his shirt before he heard her crying.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, though she refused to let him go. "I should've told you, I should've-"

"You should have," Ezra agreed. "But I understand why you didn't. It doesn't matter."

Aria's brow furrowed slightly. "Are you sure?"

Ezra nodded. "It's in the past, and I can't be upset with you for something that happened before we knew each other. All that matters is here and now."


	4. Shake It Out

**A/N: **I just wanted to remind ya'll, I did promise there would be things you probably didn't like that would come with the continuation of this story. I do promise though, that I know where it's going. So if you're planning to tell me you hate this part of the series, just pass it up. It's all a part of the greater plot.

_Shake It Out_

Aria groaned softly as she opened her eyes against the light burning through the tiny studio apartment. She hated the idea of waking up for school, but she knew not going would only lead to questions about where she was.

Ezra's arm stiffened where it was wrapped around her torso, and a moment later his lips pressed into her shoulder. Aria exhaled a long breath and smiled wearily as she opened her eyes.

"Morning," Ezra whispered as she looked up at him.

"G'morning," Aria replied. She kissed him lazily and then exhaled heavily, leaning partially into him and partially into the comfort of the bed. "What time is it?"

"Just after six," Ezra responded. He kissed her again, and Aria looped her free arm around his neck, pulling him closer to her. After a few moments, it began to get more heated, and Aria reluctantly moved her hand back to his chest, pushing him back a bit.

"Something wrong?" Ezra asked.

Aria shook her head, frowning. "No. Just that I have to go home and get some clean clothes before school."

Ezra brushed his nose up against hers and kissed her once more. "No you don't. I have that dress you covered in soy sauce a few weeks ago in my dresser."

Aria giggled, turning her head away from him as he trailed kisses down the side of her neck. "I still really need to get up. You know how bitchy I can be without a proper breakfast before daily activities."

Ezra huffed, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "Yes, yes. Aria Montgomery simply won't function without a mocha frappe and blueberry scones." He was quiet for a few moments before finally picking his head up. "Alright. I'll go do that while you shower."

Ezra moved off the bed and Aria watched as he walked over to his dresser, the ghost of a smirk playing on her face as she watched him pull a fresh pair of boxers out and proceed to put them on.

Ezra turned around a few moments later, picking up a discarded shirt from the floor as he did. He glanced up at her when he'd tugged the shirt of her his head. "Finding the view enjoyable?"

Aria nodded, smirking fully at him as she looked up into his eyes. Ezra looked away a few seconds later, chuckling as he turned and opened another drawer for a pair of sweat pants. After he had them on, he grabbed his wallet off the dresser and then slipped on a pair of runners before walking over to the door.

Once Aria heard the door open and shut, she moved lazily off the bed and walked over to the dresser. Ezra had made room for her ages ago when she started spending the occasional night with him, but she rarely kept anything there, lest her parents question why her clothes were missing. Too often, she had left things at her friends homes and then questioned her mother days later when she couldn't find the items in her clean laundry. The only reason she'd left her dress at Ezra's place was because it was stained and sticky and she'd had nothing else to wear. She'd had to call Hanna and ask her to bring clean clothes to her.

She pulled the dress from the drawer, along with the lingerie she'd worn that day. Fortunately it all matched, and she was grateful for that in the current moment, given what she'd worn the day before was a bright shade of blue, and the dress itself was fire engine red with white trim on the stitching. It was tight to the body with a sweetheart neckline, and she'd worn it with a pair of tights that night. But as she dug around, she couldn't find them in the dresser, which meant Ezra had probably tried to wash them. She chuckled to herself and shook her head, grabbing her clothes and heading to the shower.

She used the facilities before resting her clothes and a towel on the closed toilet and stepping into the shower. The water was thankfully already warm, so she let the spray run over her for a few minutes, warming her skin. Once she felt more fully awake, she washed up with the soap and shower gel Ezra had bought her ages ago.

The night before wasn't supposed to go the way it ended up. When she'd shown up, she'd just wanted to be with Ezra. The fact that Mr. Hender- Austin had returned was wearing a lot on her and even though she was frustrated by everything going on lately, Ezra sated all of that. He made her feel calm and safe.

As it was, when she'd arrived, they'd talked about their disagreement, and Aria apologized again for being moody. After that, they'd sat down to watch a movie and shared cake Ezra had left in his fridge from his birthday. Aria had conned Ezra into watching Date Night, and somehow laughing together turned into kissing, and then they were in his bed together. Aria had expected to be scared and jumpy, but Ezra made her feel relaxed and safe.

Once she was finished showering, she stepped out and dried herself before wrapping herself up in her towel. She walked back into the apartment and grabbed her purse, digging through it until she found her travel hairbrush and makeup.

Aria returned to the bathroom and settled her makeup on the counter. She brushed her hair first, tossing it over in front of her to comb through it thoroughly before she stood back up and opened the medicine cabinet.

She was a lucky woman. Ezra sometimes knew her better than she knew herself, so he kept hair ties and clips in the cabinet for her, though she rarely actually wore her hair up. She grabbed one of the clips and twisted her hair up onto the back of her head before placing the clip. Afterwards, she closed the cabinet and applied her makeup.

Once she was finished, she returned her makeup to its bag and then took her towel off and pulled on her bra and panties. As she was starting to pull her dress on, she heard the door to the apartment open.

"You finished already?" Ezra called out.

"Yeah, I need you to zip me up though," Aria said as she pulled the straps of her dress up her arms. Footsteps neared and then a few seconds later she felt Ezra's warm fingers touching the base of her spine. He gently tugged the zipper up and then kissed her shoulder softly as the zipper slid into place.

"Do you want the clip attached at the top?" He asked.

Aria nodded, and Ezra clasped it before reaching up and pulling the clip out of her hair. Aria turned to face him and they grinned at each other. She looped her arms around his neck as she pushed up on her tip-toes and kissed him. Ezra rested his hands lightly on her hips, kissing her back.

They parted after a few seconds,and Ezra kissed her forehead before stepping away.

"I'll leave you to finish," he said before turning to leave the room. Aria turned back to the mirror and finished up her hair. She opted to just put it in a quick braid, and then sealed it with one of the hair-ties from the cabinet before heading out of the bathroom with her things.

She placed her makeup and hairbrush in her bag and then walked over to the kitchenette. Instead of sitting at a chair, she hopped up onto the counter and grabbed the cup that had her name on it.

"Aria?"

She glanced up at Ezra as she took a sip from her frappe. "Hmm?"

"I just wanted to make sure...I mean, you're okay?" Ezra asked a bit nervously. His cheeks reddened.

He

She nodded, reaching out a hand towards him. Ezra walked over to her and placed his hands on her thighs, over her dress. They were at matching eye-level with her on the counter.

"I promise I'm one hundred percent okay," she whispered as she leaned in and kissed him.

Ezra seemed a bit wary of her words, but he didn't fight them. He kissed her back and then gently, reluctantly, pushed her away. "I just want to be sure. We promised your parents-"

"What my parents don't know won't them," Aria assured him.

Ezra chuckled, shaking his head at her. He'd been in highschool once, and he knew the connotations of that statement. He also knew the trouble it could bring them if things didn't go over well.

"Oh," he said a few seconds later, leaning away from her, around the counter. He grabbed something and handed a package to her. "I know my washer at the other ones, so I figured..."

Aria looked down at the package in his hands-tights. She smiled and grabbed them, leaning forward to kiss him once more before she hopped down off the counter. "Thanks."

**.,.**

Never did Aria hate being in school so much. Upon arriving that morning, Ella had pulled her into her class room and proceeded to yell at Aria for sneaking out the night before, and then for not coming home. Aria had little reason to want to listen-mostly because she didn't want to-which only led to Ella getting more angry with her. Granted, Aria managed to make her mother understand at least slightly that she was tired of being locked up at home all the time, to which Ella agreed to let her have a few hours out of the house each day, as long as she was with her friends.

Aria had ways of getting around that.

Even so, she'd attempted to make plans with her friends, but it seemed everywhere she turned, people were busy. Emily was hanging out with Maya, Hanna and Caleb were going out for dinner and a movie, and Spencer had plans to babysit for Melissa while she went to a night class. Spencer had invited Aria to join them, but she was headed to Philadelphia, and Aria didn't really feel like hanging out all night while Spencer babysat.

All of her friends plans should've told her to just go home after school, but she was determined to soak up every ounce of freedom that she got, so instead she headed out to the Rosewood Mall and spent an hour looking at clothes that she didn't end up buying. After that, she headed over to The Brew-the newest hang in Rosewood-and got herself her second frappe of the day and then headed next door to Bartholomew's. Bartholomew's was a book store. They sold both the latest releases as well as gently used second-hand books at a lighter price. Aria had fallen in love with the place when it opened, simply because it was a place to hang out and study without getting kicked out. If it weren't for the fact that she'd spent so much of the previous summer hanging there with each 'book of the week', she likely would've applied for a job. Unfortunately, she feared that she'd spend more time reading than she would getting any books stocked. So instead, she spent every free moment she could there.

"Aria!"

She glanced up towards the cashiers desk and smiled. "Hey, Harold."

Harold smiled back at her. He was a gray-haired man in his sixties, and just about the sweetest person Aria had met in Rosewood to date. He wore some variation of the same outfit every day-a button-down shirt, jeans, and suspenders. Aria actually found it cute and endearing. And if that wasn't enough to make her want to sit down and write her own novel, his wife Meryl was small, cute, and suited him perfectly. She'd let them become her quasi-grandparents in the past few months.

"I haven't seen you in ages," Harold said in his usual gruffy, cheerful voice. "Where've ya been, child?"

Aria shrugged, frowning a bit. "I've been under a bit of house arrest again. My parents are worried."

Harold nodded. Aria hadn't told him her life story, but he and Meryl knew enough from the papers about Jason. They'd met her parents during the summer, and Harold was always sending Byron and Ella home with new books that he insisted they read.

"I've had that book you requested for a bit now," he told her as he reached under the counter and pulled something out from under the counter.

Aria frowned. "I didn't bring enough money with me today. I can come tomorrow though. I just wanted to sit and read today."

Harold waved a hand at her and pushed the book across the counter. "Take it. Start reading. You can take it home tomorrow when you pay."

Aria smiled thankfully at him. She walked over to the counter and picked up the book and then walked over through the store towards the back. Once she'd passed by all the shelves, there was a corner in the back of the store with a few lounging chairs and bean bags. Aria walked over to one of the larger lounging chairs and dropped down into it with the book. She settled her frappe on the small table next to her along with her phone, making sure the drink was settled on a coaster. Afterwards, she curled up with the book, tucking her feet into the side of the chair with her toes curled against the edge of the cushion. She started to read.

"_Do you remember when I had you read The Perks Of Being A Wallflower?" Austin asked as he scrawled on the chalkboard in front of the room. Aria was seated at a desk in the center of the room, struggling desperately to understand why she couldn't make a better grade than he'd given her. _

"_Yeah, but I didn't really get the point," she commented. _

"_I wanted you to read it because of the prose. The direct conversation, as if you __**are **__the friend he's talking to," Austin said. He turned and walked around the desk, leaning against the side of it. Yes, the story has short entries, but you should be hitting direct points in your writing. Right now, it's..." He paused and gestured towards the board. _

_Aria's brow furrowed as she stared at the illustration. "What do a bunch of circles have to do with me?"_

_Austin chuckled. "They're a nail and a hammer. Look, what I'm trying to tell you is that you're __**capable**__ of being a good writer. The ability is there, Aria. But where you should be hitting the nail on the head, you're knocking it at the edge and denting it. Losing the composure."_

_"So there's too much detail?" Aria asked._

_Austin walked back over to the desk and squatted down in front of it, tapping his finger against her paper. "There's too much and there's not enough. Remember, I don't want you to tell me what you see. That's boring. Don't put it in the dialogue, or worse not at all. Put in the exposition." He smiled as he lifted a hand and touched the side of her head with his index finger. "I wanna know what's in here. Not in here," he moved his finger to her chin, resting his index finger just below her lips. _

_Aria shuddered. _

When Aria finally looked up from her book, she was five chapters in, and an hour and a half had passed. She reached up and grabbed her phone, checking the time before exhaling a frustrated sigh. It was going on six PM, which meant the sun would be going down soon.

She truly hated being at home. She was literally **bored **of doing school work and being stuck in her own thoughts.

"Aria?"

She glanced up from her phone as someone came around one of the book cases. She smiled. Meryl.

"Hey, Meryl."

Meryl smiled back at her. The tiny woman had her glasses resting in the curly hair that monopolized the top of her head, and she was dressed in a floral print dress that Aria knew she'd never be able to pull off herself.

"Harry and I are headed home shortly. Connie is home for a few days," she explained.

"Oh, okay," Aria said, moving quickly off the chair. "I'll get out of your hair."

"No, no, dear," Meryl said as Aria tucked her feet into her heels. "I'm not rushing you out. I just wanted to ask if you were planning to stay. I'd just have you lock up."

Aria shook her head as she stood up. "I really should be going. My parents..."

Meryl nodded. "Harold told me."

Aria picked up her frappe and held it in the same hand as her phone. She passed the book back to Meryl.

"I'll come in tomorrow before school if I can to pick it up,"she explained. "If not, I'll just come after school."

"Sounds good," Meryl replied.

Aria nodded and then headed out of the bookstore.

When she walked outside, the sky was various shades of pink and purple due to the sun setting. The dark was trying desperately to take over the sky, but the sun was trying to fight it as well.

She thought of Austin as she walked, and all that had happened lately. She had genuinely believed he'd never return to Rosewood after everything that had happened her freshman year. She'd honestly believed that when he left that he'd stay gone. He'd gotten into enough trouble with the police when they'd fought that night...

Aria huffed, shaking her head at herself. It was hard to figure out where her opinion on all that had happened that night lay anymore. Ever since she'd run into Austin that night and he had kissed her... Every thing he'd said had her head all jumbled, and she felt confused.

It made her hate herself, too. Because once upon a time, she had been falling for him. She'd adored him in the moments when she really needed him and he was there. He was the one who she'd been able to confide in when Alison was pushing her to tell Ella about Byron and Meredith. Hell, he'd been the one to help her hone in on her writing, long before Ezra came along.

She shook her head at herself again and headed to her car. Once she was inside, she started it and then pulled away from the curb and headed away from the city. She needed to think.

As she drove, she turned on the stereo, letting her CD player kick in.

"_Give me attention, I need it now  
><em>_Too much distance, to measure it out, out loud  
><em>_Tracing patterns across a personal map  
><em>_And making pictures where the lines overlap..."  
><em>

_Aria giggled as she sang along to the album, dancing around Austin's living room. He just smiled back at her from his place on the couch._

_She dropped down next to him breathless a few seconds later, and Austin lifted a hand, pointing the small stereo remote at the stereo and turning down the volume. _

"_This is really great," she said happily as she looked at him. _

_Austin nodded, reaching and brushing a strand of hair from her view. "I thought you might need a happy moment."_

Aria grinned, curling up on the couch, pulling her legs up behind her. "_I __**am **__happy. So happy, in this moment. I'm glad..." Her voice trailed off and she glanced at the floor, chewing on her bottom lip._

_Austin caressed her cheek, brushing his knuckles against the side of her face. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."_

_Aria looked back up at him, smiling a bit smaller. "I was just gonna say...When all of this started, I hated it. I hated that I had to switch out of that class...But now I'm grateful for it."_

_Austin nodded, smiling back at her. "Good. I'm glad."_

**.,.**

When she reached the edge of the city, the sun had almost completely fallen beneath the horizon. She was definitely going to be in trouble when she got home, and she'd probably hear even more about it from Ezra when he started flooding her phone with calls. But she needed this.

Her car idled as she reached the side of the road next to the stretch of land, and she turned it off before removing her keys from the ignition. She reached into her backseat and grabbed a hoodie she'd left there a few days earlier, and then pulled it on before zipping it up. It was black, which should've scared her because of the whole 'A' thing, but it was also really soft.

Aria tucked her keys into the left pocket and then got out of the car and locked her doors before walking around her car. She paused as she spotted someone sitting on the bench. It was a guy, and he was bent forward with his elbows on his knees, clearly distracted.

"Austin?" She called out.

He looked up, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"What're you doing here?" He asked.

Aria shook her head, shrugging. "I honestly don't really know. I just..." She shook her head again.

"Look, I really don't want to fight with you again," Austin told her. "I don't think I have the energy left in me."

Aria walked over to the bench, though she stood at the end of t and never actually walked towards him. "I didn't come here to fight. I came here to think."

Austin shook his head, letting out a shaky breath. He stood up and began to walk away from the bench.

"Where are you going?" Aria called after him.

Austin turned and looked back at her. "This is **my** spot, Aria. You **know **that!"

"Look, I'm sorry, I just-"

"**Don't **apologize," he said insistently. Aria could hear the strain in his voice. "Please."

"Then don't leave," Aria responded.

Austin shook his head at her. "I can't stay. You don't **want **me to stay."

"I do," Aria exclaimed.

"Aria-"

"**Don't** leave," she said again. "You're the only one that can help mme make sense of all of this...this _**mess**_."

"**Aria**."

"What?!" She growled at him. Tears were burning in her eyes, and she hated herself that much more.

Austin strode over to her and grasped her face roughly in his hands, pulling her up to him as he kissed her. It was rough, and wet...and harshly passionate.

Everything in Aria's conscience told her to fight back; to push him away and end all of this right this second. It told her to tell him to let her go and leave...but she didn't have the will. She didn't have the strength to fight what she felt underneath it all.

Her hands slipped inside his open jacket, squeezing the sides of the black shirt he was wearing, determined to be as close as she could to him.

She was dumb, and stupid, and all the other derogatory terms you could list about a persons intelligence, but she didn't care.

She didn't care about anything anymore, except about what she wanted.


	5. Should've Said No

**A/N:** To answer everyones question: yes, Aria and Ezra are still together. The end of the previous chapter still happened in spite of that. I don't want to give away the whole plot away, so I'd rather just put it this way: Aria has a lot of stuff to work through.

_Should've Said No_

"Aria, are you even paying attention to me?"

Aria shook her head, glancing up at Spencer. "What, sorry?"

Spencer huffed. Aria's attention-span sucked lately.

"I said, did you finish your part of the packet on Little Women," Spencer said, repeating the statement Aria had missed.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Aria said distractedly. She reached into her English folder and pulled out the packet, pushing it across the table.

"Thank you," Spencer muttered in a frustrated tone.

Okay, so Aria was really sucking as a friend lately. Actually, she was basically failing at life completely as a person.

She hadn't set out to upset her friends, or to upset anyone else for that matter. It was just that having all the mixed up and confused thoughts that she'd been having in the last two weeks took a toll on someone's concentration. And while she'd been trying to figure out the next steps in her relationships with just about _everyone _in her life, she wasn't getting very far.

Her problems started and ended with Ezra and Austin. She loved Ezra desperately and completely in a way that she was pretty sure she'd never loved anyone else before, but Austin still held a part of her that she felt like she needed to work through. There were things she needed to figure out before she could completely let him go. Things she could only figure out if they still spoke and communicated. And...did other things.

The problem was, any time she did anything with Austin, she hated herself for it. She hated herself because she knew what her family and friends would think, and what it would do to Ezra. She hated herself because she knew it was immoral and wrong. And mostly, she hated herself because she felt like there was a part of her that was really spending her time with him because it was easier than dealing with the real problems in her life.

She'd also been avoiding having any modicum of a real conversation with Ezra because she was terrified that she might end up with word vomit and end up telling him about the thing she'd been doing every time she cancelled plans on him.

"Do you want me to copy down the answers for you?" Spencer asked in an annoyed tone. "Or do you want to write in my part in your own hand writing?"

Aria sighed softly. "Sorry, Spence. I'm really, really sorry." She reached out and grabbed both packets from the other girl and placed them in front of her, scrawling in the answers that she didn't have into her packet. They would have to use the information they'd compiled to do a project in a few days. She **really** needed to get her shit together.

"I'm sorry too," Spencer said after a beat. "I just...you won't tell any of us what's going on with you."

Aria didn't answer Spencer until she'd finished writing the answers into her worksheet. She passed Spencer's packet back to her.

"No, it's all me," Aria explained. "I'm just really scattered about a lot right now." She glanced down at the floor shamefully. "I don't really know if any of the decisions I'm making right now are right for me at all."

"Well I'm here to talk," Spencer told her.

Aria looked back up at her and nodded. "I know. I really do. I just...I don't know if I _**can **_talk about it right now. I don't even know how to start putting it all into words. And I know that makes me a shitty friend because I'm basically ignoring you and refusing to say why, but-"

Spencer shook her head, reaching out to squeeze Aria's hand across the island. "I don't think you're ignoring me, and I doubt Hanna or Em feel that way either. But...I mean, we want you to know that we're here too. And if it's all of the 'A' stuff, or-"

"It's just everything," Aria said. "The 'A' stuff, the school stuff, Ezra, my parents...even Mike. Everything just feels like too much right now." And Austin. But she'd never say that out loud. She knew only too well what Spencer would say if she told the older girl what was going on with she and Austin.

Spencer frowned, and that made Aria feel even worse. She knew that her friends felt like crap whenever the whole issue of 'A' and Jason came up, because they wanted to understand and help her through everything. But they couldn't because they didn't know what being in that room was like. And Aria wouldn't wish them knowing what it was like for anything. She cared too much about them for that to ever be something she'd want.

Aria started stuffing her things into her bag, and then pulled it off the island and slung it over her shoulder.

"I'm gonna go," she commented. "But since i'm on this strict schedule, I should be home by six, so you can come over then if you want. I'm pretty sure my mom is making that lasagna you like."

Spencer smiled. "That sounds awesome. Count me in."

Aria nodded. She headed out of the house a few seconds later and walked over to her car. Once she was settled inside it, she placed her bag on the passenger seat and sunk back against her seat. She glanced up at the rear-view mirror and gulped as she saw her reflection.

"You're such an idiot," she muttered to herself.

"_This is so not going to work."_

_Austin shook his head at Aria, shifting her leg on his. "Don't be so pessimistic about it all."_

"_I'm serious," Aria said as she pushed herself up. They were cramped in the back seat of Austin's car, poorly attempting to make things happen. They just __**weren't**_. _"The door jamb is in my back."_

"_Then maybe we should switch," he responded. Aria shook her head again. _

"_You're taller than me. That's not going to solve this problem."  
><em>

_Austin huffed and leaned back, sitting down on the driver's side of the backseat. Aria's right leg was still draped over his while her left was curled up under her other leg. _

"_I'm starting to think this is never going to happen," he said as he dropped his head back against the headrest. _

_Aria curled her foot between his legs, pulling his leg over. _

"_Mover over," she said softly. _

_Austin looked over at her with a quirked eyebrow. "What?"_

"_I said move over," Aria commented again. _

_Austin stared at her for a moment more, still confused. Even so, he moved over more towards the middle. Aria sat up and managed to move over enough to drape her legs over each of his without too much trouble because of how small she was. Even so, when she draped her arms across the back of his neck, her head was practically bouncing off the ceiling. _

"_This is awful," Austin complained. Even so, he was laughing. _

_Aria giggled as well, continuing chaste kisses on his mouth and neck. After a few moments, she finally dropped back onto her haunches, trailing her hands down to the lapels of his black button-down. "Maybe we can't manage this here, but that doesn't mean we can't do __**anything**__."_

"_Oh really?" Austin questioned. _

"_Really," Aria replied. She trailed her hands all the way down to his pants and grasped her hands on his belt. _

Aria bounced on her heels as she stood outside Austin's house. It was a small one-level on the edge of town with a nice view of the city. It reminded her a lot of the kind of place one would see in a gated community-set far back from the road with gates and a giant door.

There were so many reasons to not be there. She knew that more than anything, and yet she couldn't help standing right where she stood.

The wind blew as she turned in her spot and looked around the yard in front of the house. Fallen leaves were scattering about in vibrant shades of yellow and orange. She usually loved the middle of October because of that. It was the prettiest time of year.

The door opened behind her, and Aria spun back around in time to see Austin standing there. He smiled at her, and Aria took in his appearance. He was dressed lazily in a pair of blue jeans and an expensive-looking grey cable-knit sweater. It made her feel a bit under-dressed in her black skinny jeans and Beatles t-shirt. Granted, she'd thrown on a black cardigan that morning before leaving home, but she still thought he looked to be in a completely different league than her.

" Come in," Austin said as he opened the door wider.

Aria stepped past him, looking around as he pushed the door shut. This place was a lot bigger than the house he had lived in when he worked at Rosewood Day.

"How'd you find this place?" She asked.

Austin shrugged, gesturing towards the living room. Aria followed after him.

"I didn't. My parents bought it years ago, as a home outside of Philadelphia. It was supposed to be what they dubbed a 'vacation home', but I think they just wanted a big house in the country they could brag about," Austin explained.

Aria chuckled. He was nothing, if not straight-forward.

Austin sat down on the couch in the center of the living room and left enough space for Aria, though she didn't sit right away. Instead, she surveyed the rest of the room, taking in the space.

She knew Austin well enough to know that the place had probably been decorated by someone else. His family had money, so she wouldn't have been surprised if it was from an interior designer.

There were very few photos in the room, and the ones that Aria could see were store-bought. That didn't entirely surprise Aria, given that Austin's parents had been dead for over a decade, having been t-boned in a car accident against a drunk driver. He was an only child, so there wasn't really any family to reach out to. Whether he still had any friends after everything that happened three years earlier, Aria didn't know.

Austin reached up and grabbed her hand, tugging her closer.

Aria smiled, letting his tug pull her down to the couch next to him. In a swift movement, she tossed her legs on top of his, leaning back into the comfort of the arm of the couch.

"Do you stay here often?" Aria asked.

Austin shook his head. "Not since..." He paused, shaking away the thought before looking up at her clearly. "Not in a few years. After I left town, I went to California and did a lot of writing. It was kind of hard, considering background checks..."

"I'm sorry," Aria muttered softly.

"The up side was that the guys who let me talk for more than five minutes managed to realize that I was worth the chance. I mean, I _hate_ journalism...but it was a pay-check," he commented.

Aria nodded, chewing her lip as she glanced back towards the TV.

The issue that was Austin's removal from Rosewood Day was a stiff conversation between them. Granted, most of it was because Aria was utterly confused by her own thoughts, but still. Austin had never seen jail time because even though Aria told her parents about what happened, she refused to tell the police the whole story. Instead, he was charged with assault-because really, what else could she prove-and fired from the school. As far as anyone publicly knew, there was an altercation that led to a physical argument, but nothing else was said. Mostly because Aria never said a word to anyone but her parents, and even that was hard.

"Aria?"

She glanced up at him and shook her head, refocusing on the present moment. "Sorry. What?"

Austin gave a confused expression. "Did I say something to upset you?"

Ara shook her head. "No. Sorry."

"Then-"

Aria shook her head again, pulling her legs back towards her body. Once her feet planted against the cushion, she pushed herself forward and turned towards the back of the couch, draping a knee over Austin's legs before wrapping her hands around his face, kissing him roughly. Austin kissed her back for a few moments before pushing her back.

"Mmm-...Wait. Something-" He had to fight to push her back further. "**Aria**. What's going on?"

"Nothing," she insisted. "Can't we just..." She dropped back on her haunches, tilting her chin down in a sultry expression. "Nevermind everything else. I just want this right now."

Austin stared at her someone skeptically, but he didn't argue the point, so Aria leaned forward and draped her arms around his neck, kissing him roughly and taking his tongue in her mouth when he demanded entrance.

* * *

><p>When Aria left Austin's house that night, the sun had long since set. She should've cared how angry her parents were going to be, but she didn't. At least, not enough to get home any sooner.<p>

Instead, she drove through the city until she was nearly out of gas. When she finally stopped for gas, the red light next to the gas gauge was on_. _

Aria pulled into the gas station and idled up next to a pump, reaching over into her school bag until she found her wallet. She flipped it open and pulled out the only bank card she had before getting out of the car and walking around it. She punched the option for paying with a card, and then she charged it before tucking the card into her left pocket before removing the gas cap on the car and grabbing the pump.

She proceeded to let the tank fill while she returned the card to her wallet, and then she returned the pump to its hook and gathered her receipt when it was finished.

Afterwards, she returned to her car and started it, waiting long enough to make sure the gauge returned to _full_ before she pulled away from the pump and out of the gas station. She drove several blocks more before finally stopping and pulling into a park. She turned off the car, though she left the radio to play as she looked out the window across from her seat, staring out at the park.

_Aria squirmed roughly in Ezra's grip as he tickled her sides. It was freezing outside, but he'd insisted on a date in the place where they'd reunited some four months earlier, so they were currently settled in the backseat of his car trying very dilegently not to drop their sandwiches he had made. His were turkey and cheese, while she had peanut butter and strawberry jam. _

"_What the hell are you-..." Aria tossed her head back suddenly in an effort to get away from Ezra and giggled louder as the back of her head smacked his shoulder. It should've hurt, but she was so busy laughing that it took a few seconds for the whack to phase her. _

"_Are you alright?" Ezra asked between laughs. _

"_I think so," Aria giggled as she brought a hand up to the back of her head. She massaged the spot and turned, looking Ezra in the eyes. As they faced each other, they began to laugh again. It wasn't until a few seconds later that Aria remembered her question and she glanced toward the front of the car where the radio was still playing. _

"_What the hell is this?" She asked, still chuckling a bit. _

_Ezra shrugged. "What the kids call Top 40 these days?" _

"_**Whoa, well I never meant to brag,  
><strong>__**But I got him where I want him now  
><strong>__**Whoa, it was never my intention to brag,  
><strong>__**To steal it all away from you now..."**_

Aria smiled as she drummed her fingers against her knee and nodding her head lightly along with the quick beat. Those days had been great. They'd been before Jason, and before Ezra knew anything about Austin. Before Austin was even around to ruin things...

The smile on her face faded, and her throat ached with the feeling of tears burning in her eyes. She gulped and exhaled a long breath as the tears brimmed her eyes, shaking her head at herself as she bit down hard on her bottom lip, wishing the tears not to fall.

She hated crying, because she hated how weak it made her feel, especially lately. She hated feeling **everything** and wanted to forget it all. And though she refused to admit it to herself, she knew that was the driving force behind what was pushing her towards Austin. Austin made her forget everything to do with Alison's disappearance and everything that had happened with Jason and 'A', because he wasn't there. He'd left before Alison went missing and had returned months after the whole thing with Jason and 'A'.

Her hands curled into fists and she pounded them against her knees as the tears fell from her eyes. She pounded until her legs ached and her hands throbbed. Sobs continued to escape her as she curled her fingers in between one-another and held them tight to her chest.

She cried for Alison. She cried for her friends. She cried for feeling like she ruined Austin's life. She cried for feeling like an **idiot** when Austin came up at all. And she cried because she felt like she couldn't fix anything at all. She'd grown to hate herself so much and recently, and couldn't understand why.

When she managed to calm down enough, she started her car again and grabbed her phone, letting the small space warm around her as she took in deep breaths.

She had a missed text message from Spencer.

_**Just want you to know I'm here if you need me. Xx**_

Aria wiped the tears from her face and inhaled a deep breath, forcing herself to expel the heavy weight on her chest. She wrapped both hands loosely around her phone and typed out a quick resonse.

_**Sorry I've been such a crap friend lately. & ty.  
><strong>__**I need you very much.**_

She sent the message and then closed the message app before opening her contacts and scrolling through to Ezra's name. When she reached it, she tapped on it and then stared at the information in her phone. Her thumb hovered over the call button, and her eyes drifted shut as she exhaled a heavy breath. She dropped her thumb against the button and then lifted the phone to her ear. She had to do this. **Had to. **Lying to him wasn't fair.

As she waited for him to pick up, she silently hoped it would go to voicemail, against her better judgment. Part of her wanted to never tell him at all about Austin, and about the times she'd already met up with him lately. She didn't want to talk about the kisses she shared that weren't with him, or the time she spent letting Austin feel her up. She didn't want to tell Ezra about any of it. She just wanted to forget everything.

"_**Hello?"**_

Ezra's voice cut through her thoughts, and Aria inhaled a deep breath.

"Hey," she responded in the best normal-voice she could manage.

"_**Hey. Are you okay?" **_

Clearly her best wasn't good enough.

"Um..." She let out a shaky breath and looked around herself. She shook her head again. "No, not really."

"_**Where are you? Are you at home? What can I do?" **_

More tears filled Aria's eyes, but she swallowed a heavy gulp, determined to get through this.

"I'm somewhere you can't get to me," she told him. Those words held so much more meaning than she could even try to convey, but they were the truth. "I just um...I can't do this anymore."

Her voice cracked, and she squeezed her eyes shut tight as the tears in her eyes fell. She **had** to do this right.

"_**Aria-" **_

"No, Ezra," she insisted. She couldn't let him talk her out of this, because then she'd have to tell him about Austin, and about everything, and she just couldn't. "Words can't fix this. I just-..I can't do it anymore. I need...I need to be away from you. There's-..." She stopped herself before she uttered the words _someone else, _knowing too well that that would send up red flags. "There's too much history. I just need a clean break."

Ezra was quiet again, and she felt the weight lifting again. Putting the words out there made it hurt less. They were a version of the truth, after all.

"_**I don't want to keep you if I'm hurting you,"**_ he muttered. It was clear in his voice that he was trying to hold it together, but his tone broke in the last word, and more tears ran down Aria's face. _**"I just...I hope that maybe-...I'm really sorry, Aria."**_

She didn't speak, but she nodded, feeling her chin tremble as more tears fell. They were so thick that she felt like both of her cheeks were thoroughly wet. She tried to respond _'me too', _but her throat was so tight that barely a whisper escaped her lips.

No one spoke after that, and a few seconds later, she dropped the phone into her lap, quickly ending the call.

* * *

><p>She thought everyone would be in bed by the time she got home, but when Aria stepped into her house, a lamp switched on in the sitting room. She walked slowly into the room, inhaling and exhaling in deep breaths to stay calm. It'd taken her too long to get back to that point as it was.<p>

"Aria?"

The look on Ella's face said she was furious, but the tone of her voice conveyed something of deep worry and concern as she moved out of the chair she was seated in and walked over towards her daughter.

"Are you alright?"

Aria inhaled. "I'm fine. I broke up with Ezra."

Ella's eyebrows raised. "You...Is...Did he...?" The elder woman paused for a few moments, trying to find the words to form a proper sentence. "I'm sorry, did...did he try to hurt you?"

Aria shook her head, staring exhaustedly at the couch. Her eyes were ready to fall shut from how much she'd cried. "No," she muttered raspily. "But I would've hurt him."

"Is there someone else?" Ella asked gently.

Aria didn't answer. She didn't want to answer because then Ella would want to know things. Things she couldn't explain without causing trouble she'd never get herself out of.

"It's just over," she responded. She finally looked Ella in the eyes. "And I know I'm late, but I'm safe, mom. Nothing is going to happen to me."

"Aria, that man-"

"Isn't going to do anything to get himself thrown in jail," she finished. It probably wasn't what Ella was going to say, but it was the truth. "Just let it go. Please."

Ella stared at her skeptically. "Aria, I don't trust him."

"Then trust that he's smart enough to not do something as stupid as try to kidnap me," Aria responded. There was plenty more she could say than that, but instead she stepped past Ella and headed towards the stairs.

"Aria, we need to talk about this," Ella said as Aria began to ascend the stairs.

"Fine, but can we do it tomorrow?" Aria muttered as she glanced back at the older woman. "I'm exhausted."

Ella stared at her for a moment before finally nodding. "First thing in the morning."

Aria nodded, and then climbed to the top of the stairs and walked towards her bedroom, closing her door tight behind her and locking it before she began removing her clothes.

She let them fall as she pulled them off, too weary to put them in her hamper, and then dug into her bag and pulled out the shirt she'd stolen off of Austin's back earlier in the evening. She pulled it on her weary and sore body, inhaling the scent of his soap and cologne as she gently straightened her legs below her blankets on her bed. They were stiff and they ached from her fists pounding on them. But Austin's scent calmed her, because it smelled like being able to forget and let go. And she needed that more than anything.


	6. Surrender In The Rain

**A/N: **I contemplated not writing this, just because I made two notes at the beginning of the last two chapters, but it genuinely bothers me, so there's this one now too. I never intended to write SOS into a longer story. It was only ever intended to be **two **chapters. What made me decide to continue it were the reviews asking for more. **In order to do that, I needed a plot to work with.** Jason was in jail, there was no point in bringing Ezra's father into it, and I really didn't want to dive into the whole 'A' thing. So I went with the part of the plot that I had already formed-Aria's inappropriate relationship with her teacher.

To keep this short, people have asked over and over again (and were you not paying attention?) who Austin is. **Austin is Mr. Henderson. **Mr Henderson is the teacher referred to in chapter two. His **ENTIRE **point here has **ALWAYS **been to screw with Aria's head. Also, **Ezria is ALWAYS endgame in my stories!** Before I wrap this up though, I have two things to say. One, Jason _assaulted_ Aria. He intended to rape her, but didn't get the chance. Second, for those who have no clue what it's like to go through that **people don't come out the same way.** Some do drugs/drink. Some kill themselves. **Some become promiscuous**. There is no simple way of explaining why that happens. That said, this story was always intended to take the angle that I felt was somewhat obvious. It comes to its head in this chapter, so you'll see my point. But Aria's choices had **EVERYTHING** to do with someone who's been hurt being confused, and dealing with a lot of self-hatred. And really, if Ezra couldn't stand up for her in the face of all of that, it doesn't say very much about him in my opinion.

Also **HUGE TRIGGER WARNING **for the end of this chapter involving self-harm. You've been warned.

_Surrender In The Rain_

The day after Aria broke up with Ezra, she knew things would never be the same. It was an act that should've pleased her parents, but instead it just left them with questions. It should've made her feel relief for no longer being an adulterer, but it only made her feel worse. It should've solved everything. Instead, things only got tougher, and it was all her fault.

Truthfully, she should've seen it coming. Austin loved the idea of them being out together and putting their relationship out in front of people-even if those people were in Philadelphia. Since there was no way for them to be together in Rosewood without getting caught, they instead spent their afternoons hanging out in cafes and theaters in the city and evenings in restaurants or on his couch.

Aria didn't mind any of that at all. In fact, she enjoyed all of the time together-and there was quite a lot of it-because she could ignore what she was feeling. Every moment spent with Austin-whether they were curled up in some spot in his house or car, or discussing books over coffee-made her feel a little bit better about everything. It didn't really change what she felt about herself, but it made her think less about the mess that was already around her.

She could forget about the hurricane in her head, and that was great. The problem was that they were playing with fire.

They'd been 'official' for about a week and a half when Ezra spotted them in a cafe tucked in the edge of one of the many malls in Philadelphia. They'd been sitting in a corner booth, and Austin's large body was curled so tightly around her hers while they traded kisses that the likelihood of Ezra spotting them had to be nearly impossible. And it was only made worse by the position they were caught in.

She'd been kissing Austin rather heatedly when he had pulled away because they were both chuckling over the taste of her strawberry frappe on her tongue. If that wasn't bad enough, both of his calves were wrapped around hers with his ankles crossed on the other side of her leg, keeping her close to him. Even worse was the placement of his hand on the inside of her thigh, partially hidden under her skirt. His fingers hadn't been doing anything but caressing her leg over her tights, but Ezra didn't know that.

After he'd seen them there, he'd grown furious with Aria and fights ensued. He told her that she was stupid and demanded she get away from Austin. He told her that she was crazy-he knew only too well that she hadn't told her parents about her current meet-ups with Austin. And he insisted she end things and tell her parents about what she was doing, or he would himself.

At first, she'd been terrified at the thought. If they found out, they'd be furious at her and try to ground her and make her end things. But the realization that she was going to be eighteen in just a few months gave her knew ground to stand on.

Instead, she got cocky and brave. When Ezra told her parents a full twenty-four hours later about what he'd seen, Aria denied it and said he was jealous. Of course, Ella didn't believe her and insisted Aria stay home. Aria fought against her mother and continued to go out. When Ella threatened to call the cops on Austin, Aria said she'd leave home for good and never return-and she meant it. Austin was the one thing keeping her great on her sanity. If she lost him, she'd be screwed, and she couldn't fathom not having him around.

So she pissed her parents off by continuing to meet up with Austin, and she grew irritated by Ezra's insistence on following her as much as possible. But still, she had her freedom, and that was a lot.

* * *

><p>"You know this is going to just get us in more trouble," Aria commented as Austin sucked roughly on her collarbone. She was wearing a dark gray dress that she'd worn to school that day. One of Austin's hands were curled up in her hair while the other was wrapped tightly around her thigh while his fingertips brushed lightly against the top of her lace panties. She should've been paying better attention, but she was too focused on the episode of <em>Teen Mom<em> _2 _on the TV to think about his lips.

"Don't care," Austin responded as his hand came up from her leg and turned her head to face him as he came back up to kiss her. His lips were full and swollen from their suction on her neck. His tongue was quickly in her mouth as he pulled her tighter to him. Aria moaned as he pulled her onto her side and curled a leg around hers before his hands slipped between her thighs once more. This time they moved straight for her panties. She tensed, freezing as memories of being in that basement with Jason assaulted her.

"Shh," Austin whispered as he trailed light kisses against her jaw. He made no further movement, just continuing to place light kisses on her neck.

Aria breathed until she was calm, and then turned into him once more, resuming their kissing.

There was a reason she picked Austin over Ezra that had nothing to do with confusion or what she thought was love. It was the fact that when she was with Austin like this, it felt like someone was lighting her on fire. Every part of her body felt like she'd been ignited, and it made everything else fuzzy. Austin was literally a drug for her.

* * *

><p>Ezra was irritated as he walked into The Brew. He had three students who had missed extended deadlines on papers, and he'd been blocked on the story he was working on for over a week now. And then of course, there was the whole issue with Aria.<p>

He hadn't set out to be angry with her in any of what had happened. She'd been dealing with _a lot_ for a while, and as much as he tried, he couldn't seem to get through to her far enough that she'd open up about it. He was always catching her staring off into space, looking as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. It scared him. So when she'd called him out of the blue sounding upset, he wasn't entirely surprised. In the honesty of it all, he'd expected she'd turn up eventually and tell him what was going on in her head, because that's what she usually did.

But there was no phone call from her in the middle of the night, and there was no impromptu visit to Hollis. Instead, he didn't hear from her at all. It was a cold way to cut things off, but he was willing to be understanding enough and let her have her space.

A full nine days had passed without any sort of contact from her before he finally found out what was going on. He'd been in Philadelphia running errands and had stopped for an afternoon caffeine boost, and he'd been waiting in line to order when he'd spotted...that _guy_.

He hadn't been seeking either one of them out. But the mere sight of her in that booth with that man, doing the things they were doing...It genuinely made him sick to his stomach.

He couldn't believe that she was there with that guy, doing the things she was doing. And worse,it only made him wonder what they were doing behind closed doors. Or, what _that __**disgusting**__ pervert _had her convinced she should do with him.

He'd tried leveling with her and getting her to see that what she was doing was wrong. He tried going to Ella and Byron when that didn't work. But Aria fought against them and threatened to leave, and Byron told Ezra there was nothing they could do. Ezra hated every moment of it.

Part of him wanted to take Aria aside and shake her until she realized what she was doing, but he didn't think she saw it. He didn't understand why, but he could see how she seemed to have blinders on to everything. She didn't see the manipulation that was so clear in the other man's eyes, and that made Ezra want to kill Austin Henderson.

"Hey dude, are you gonna order?"

Ezra shook from his reverie and glanced up, realizing there was someone standing behind him. He stepped up to the counter, muttering apologies as his eyes scanned the options behind the counter.

"Yeah, I'll take a pumpkin spice latte with toffee nut," he commented.

He stepped off to the side after placing his order, and dug into his pocket to retrieve a few bills before paying the cashier.

Ezra sighed as he glanced over towards the windows. Aria used to love coming in with a good book on Sundays when Harold's Place was closed and curl up with her coffee and book while Ezra graded papers from the summer semester. And when she didn't have anything she felt was worthy of reading, she'd read the papers he graded. She'd contested the grades he'd given more than once and caused him to change them a number of times.

"Pumpkin spice with toffee nut," the girl behind the counter said as she pushed a coffee cup towards him. Ezra turned back and picked up the coffee, thanking the girl before heading out of the building.

"_**What**__ are you doing!?" Ezra growled as Aria stood before him. She'd brought by the few things of his that she had in her possession and was trying deftly to escape the apartment before Ezra laid into her about what he'd seen earlier in the afternoon. _

"_I just came here to return your things," she insisted as she headed for the door._

_Ezra charged after her and grasped her bicep in his hand. Aria had muscles and could fight with the best of them when she wanted to, but Ezra's fingers almost reached his palm this way. It was unnerving. _

"_No," he insisted in a gruff voice. "Not before you tell me what's going on." _

_Aria tried to tug her arm free from his grasp, but his grip tightened. He didn't hold her so much that he hurt her, but enough to keep her in place. _

_Aria inhaled an angered breath-he could tell by how loud it was-and glared at him. "You need to __**let go**__ is what's going on," she growled. "FIguratively AND literally." _

"_Are you really so stupid that you can't see what he's doing?!" Ezra argued._

_There was a flash of something in her eyes-too quick for him to catch what it was-that confused him. It was only there for the slightest moment before she was yelling at him again. _

"_No. __**You**__ are the one who is stupid here, because you can't get it through your __**THICK SKULL**__ that this is __**done**__!" She furthered her point by tapping her index finger roughly on his forehead. "You can't fix this!" _

"_And he can?" Ezra questioned. The mere idea of it out loud sounded absolutely ridiculous. _

_Aria didn't answer him. She just yanked her arm away from him. Because he was distracted, he let her. She walked over to the door, and he waited until she was opening it to speak. _

"_He can't fix you, Aria. He's just going to hurt you even more." _

He probably should've been pissed at her. Hell, he probably should've written her off and told her he never wanted anything to do with her again. After all, it wasn't as though what he saw was anything new. He could tell that by looking at Aria and _Austin_.

But he'd seen what the older man was doing from the very minute he saw him for the first time. His intentions were clear to Ezra. The older man wanted nothing more than to get inside Aria's head and then into her pants. Ezra had no problem believing that the man didn't actually give a crap about Aria. She was just a means to an end.

On some level though-a level he didn't discuss with anyone; not even Hardy-it made him disgusted with the fact that he had dated Aria while being her teacher. It wasn't because he didn't care about her at the time, but it bothered him to know that someone else in his same position had made a play for her while she was in their class. He'd spent a lot of time ever since he got that piece of information wondering if he ever made Aria feel like he was just making a play for her.

"Ezra?"

He glanced up as he was nearing his car, and spotted a tall brunette half a block away. It took a few moments for him to realize that it was Spencer.

She reached him a few seconds later, slowing her light jog into smaller steps. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Ezra raised his eyebrows. "Hmm?"

Spencer's lips parted, but she said nothing. Ezra knew then that whatever her question was, it had to do with Aria. That fact didn't really surprise him, but it did worry him. It was one thing for Aria to be ignoring him and trying to hurt him-that was something he could explain away. But her friends were another story entirely.

Spencer's shoulders dropped somewhat. "Have you seen her?"

Ezra shook his head. "She hasn't talked to me in days, Spencer."

If it was possible, Spencer frowned more. She looked away from him, glancing off in the distance across the street. The two of them stood in silence for several moments while he kicked at a dead leaf on the ground.

When Ezra looked back up, Spencer was looking back at him with words that she obviously wanted to, but couldn't say. She had the same slack-jawed expression as several seconds before, but the words didn't come. He couldn't blame her. There was so much he wanted to say to or about Aria, and he didn't even know where to start.

Spencer inhaled a deep breath and stood up straighter. "Sorry to have interrupted to you."

The comment sounded so official coming from her that it surprised him. It shouldn't have because this was Spencer talking to him...but it did. Because there were words underlying that comment too. The statement that he was no longer her best friend's boyfriend. He was just her former teacher.

Ezra nodded, and Spencer turned a few moments later and walked away. He exhaled a long sigh shortly thereafter and then turned and unlocked his car door before getting in.

* * *

><p>Aria could hear her heartbeat in her ears. That was how silent it was in the room. She inhaled and exhaled in shaky breaths as she laid in the darkness of the room.<p>

She'd been nervous. She should've said something sooner, but she hadn't wanted to upset him. And then the way her body had reacted...

Austin's grip tightened around her body and she shuddered, flinching.

"_We should stop," she said as she pushed her hands up against his chest. Things were getting very heated, and she didn't want to go so far that they couldn't come back from it. _

"_Calm down baby," he muttered in her ear as he kissed along her neck. _

"_No," she said a bit more firmly, pushing a bit harder. "I have school work to get done, and I need-"  
><em>

_His hands moved down to her wrists, pushing them back against the bed. "__**Aria.**__**Stop**__."  
><em>

_There was an insistence with such clarity in his eyes, it terrified her. She knew what he was saying even with the words that weren't spoken. _

"_Don't do this," she said softly. He leaned down and started kissing along the side of her chin to her neck. She shivered, pushing her body weight against his. But she couldn't move him off of her. "Austin, don't." _

"_Shhh," he whispered. "Just let go." _

"_No," she growled. __**"No."**_

Every nerve in her body felt like alive as she slipped out from under his arm. She moved slowly at first, trying to be as quiet as possible. Try as she might though, she still made noise, and she cringed each time. Even so, she managed to get her hands on her dress, and she tugged the zipper up before pulling it over her head.

She looked around herself, trying to spot where her panties had been left. After a few moments, she spotted them stuck to a blanket hanging on the edge of the bed, untouched. She reached over and grabbed them, quickly tugging them on before she leaned over and grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

Aria tiptoed over to the door, trying to desperately to get her hair to unknot. She dared a nervous glance behind her to see if she'd been caught, but a horror movie movement was not to be. Austin was still passed out on the bed, none the wiser about her movements.

Once Aria was out of the room, she rushed through the house to the front entrance. Her keys were inside her bag, still sitting on the couch where she'd left it some hours ago. She picked it up and then grabbed her heels before rushing over to the door.

She beat-foot it out of the house, doing everything she could do slip out with as little noise as possible. Once she reached her car, she unlocked the trunk and tossed her heels in, tugging out a pair of runners with socks stuffed in them and an overnight bag. She rounded the car and then got in, locking the doors before she moved to tug the socks and shoes on. The laces were too tight and incredibly uncomfortable, but she didn't care. She just wanted to go.

She was sure as soon as she started her car that the light on his windows would probably wake him, but she didn't care. Aria backed her car out of the driveway as quickly as she could and then drove away, speeding as she went.

She wanted to stop each time she passed another block. She wanted desperately to get out of the clothes she was in and into the safety of what she had in her bag, but she was terrified that if she stopped before she reached the city, he'd somehow catch up to her and take her back to his house. She wasn't even sure what she thought he would do, but she was scared. So instead, she drove all the way down into the city, and then finally stopped at a gas station in the middle of the city. It was old, like Rosewood, so the bathrooms were outside the building.

She walked over to the restroom and then headed into a stall, slamming the door to the handicap stall behind her. She wanted to have a melt down and start crying. She wanted to kick herself and hit herself and curse herself into oblivion. But she didn't have time.

Aria inhaled a deep breath before reaching up and tugging the zipper down on her dress and pulling it off her body. She let it fall to the ground before quickly pushing her panties off her body as well before she opened her bag and pulled out the clothes inside.

They were folded perfectly, just waiting to be used. They'd been there for months, having been placed in her trunk as an emergency go-bag. She was always rearranging her plans in some form or another, so she'd long ago learned to have a bag ready.

She quickly tugged on the bra and panties, likely missing hook as she clasped the bra behind her in her haste. Afterwards, she pulled on the pair of blue jeans that were in the bag over her shoes before reaching for the shirt to shake it out. Her hands trembled when she opened it up and realized that it was a long-sleeved shirt with the Wonder Woman symbol on the front. Ezra had gotten it for her for her birthday earlier in the year. He'd told her she could take on anything and anyone.

Tears filled her eyes as she tugged it over her body, but she didn't stop her movement. Instead, she stuffed the dress and panties into her bag and then headed out of the bathroom. She made her way back around the building and walked over to her car. She stopped halfway there, spotting a trashcan outside the entrance to the gas station. She stuffed the bag in there before walking over to her car and getting inside.

With trembling hands, she grabbed her phone from the center console. She brought her screen up and tears fell from her eyes as she looked through the missed calls and texts. She hated herself. She **hated **herself. **She hated herself.**

Aria tapped Spencer's name on her phone before lifting her phone to her ear, trying to calm herself enough to breathe. But the waves came fast, and she was choking on her sobs when the other line finally clicked over.

"_**Aria?"**_Spencer's voice came over. She tried to find words, but she couldn't stop the sobs. _**"Aria, are you okay?" **_

She tried to speak, tried to make the tears slow...but she couldn't breathe. Her chest started hurting quickly, starved for oxygen. Still, tears poured from her eyes, and she needed to speak, but she couldn't.

"_**Aria, please," **_Spencer's voice was pained. She sounded like she was in tears as well. _**"Tell me where you are. I'll come to you." **_

She gulped, forcing herself to take in a deep breath as she clenched her eyes shut. "Just...keep...talking...please," she begged in individual breaths.

"_**Where are you?" **_Spencer asked. _**"Are you hurt? Do you need me to come get you? Whatever it is, I'll come." **_

Aria continued to force the breaths into her chest, fighting hard against her body as tears poured like buckets out of her eyes. She was a terrible person, and a terrible friend. She'd been ignoring everyone who loved her for weeks now, too wrapped up in herself. She'd been incredibly selfish. She didn't deserve anyone or anything.

"Can..." She paused, hiccuping a sob as more tears fell. "I come...to your house?"

"_**Yes," **_Spencer replied. There was no pause for thought. She didn't need to think about it. Aria only felt that much more selfish. _**"Are you close?"  
><strong>_

"A few blocks," Aria cried. "I have to hang up, so I can drive."

"_**Okay," **_Spencer said. _**"Be careful. I'll be waiting." **_

They ended the call, and Aria dropped her phone into her lap, sobbing as she started the car. She didn't dare look towards her mirrors. She simply pulled forward and rounded the building before heading out of the exit.

She drove to Spencer's house in silence. The only sound that filled the space inside the car was that of her sniffling and quiet crying as she gulped in air.

The drive to Spencer's was short, and once her lights were within sight of the Hastings' home, Aria could see Spencer walking out of the house.

She pulled all the way up into the driveway and then idled her car for a few seconds before turning it off. Spencer was already opening her door, and once Aria had her feet on the ground, Spencer enveloped her in a tight hug.

Aria tried to stay calm, but she couldn't fight the tears that fell. The poured down once more, and she clung to Spencer, grateful for the safety of her best friend to grasp on to.

"Did he hurt you?" Spencer asked as she rubbed circles into her back.

"I'm stupid," was all Aria said in response. "I'm stupid, I'm stupid, I'm stupid. Ezra was right. I'm stupid."

"No," Spencer cooed, tightening her grip on the smaller girl. "No."

Aria cried harder, if it was possible, sobbing in the darkness of the yard. She regretted everything.

"You're shivering," Spencer said after a few moments when a cold breeze blew through. "Let's go inside."

Aria didn't respond, but Spencer didn't let go of her either. Instead, she moved to her side, keeping an arm wrapped tightly around the smaller girl as she led her into the house. Once inside, Spencer led her over to the chaise, and Aria pulled her legs up onto it, wrapping her arms tightly around them as she hid her face between her knees.

"Aria..." Spencer's voice cracked as she rubbed a hand up and down Aria's back. "Can I do something? Anything? Please?"

Aria just cried. Eventually, she knew Spencer was crying as well because she could feel the sobs radiating from the taller girl as she hugged her. It was awkward, since she moved behind Aria and rested her chin on Aria's shoulders, rubbing her hands up and down Aria's biceps.

An unknown amount of time passed. Aria wasn't really worried about Austin turning up, because she knew he'd leave. He'd accomplished everything he set out to do. There was no reason to stay in Rosewood now. She was second-hand trash to him. Useful for only one purpose, and then easy enough to put in the garbage.

Eventually, she lifted her head from her knees and looked wearily around the room. The room wasn't bright, but she'd been in a cone of darkness, and crying was exhausting.

"Aria?"

Spencer's voice was soft, and she rubbed one of her hands against Aria's bicep, reminding her that she was still there.

"Spence." Her voice was barely a whisper, too exhausted from crying.

"Did he hurt you?"

"I deserved it."

"No-"

"Yes," Aria said firmly. At least as firmly as she could in a whisper. "It's my fault."

"It's not," Spencer tried to argue.

Aria turned on the chaise, facing Spencer. She cleared her throat. "**Yes** it is, Spencer." She tried to yell, but the best she could manage was a soft growl. "You all told me not to, but he- I- he said-...I believed...I'm stupid!"

She beat her hands against her forehead, shaking her head as she pulled her hair.

"No!" Spencer argued, pulling Aria's hands away from her head. "He is a **sick, **_**twisted**_and **demented** person, Aria! And you have been dealing with **so much** for **so long**.You can't blame yourself for this."

"Ezra said he'd do this," Aria said in a monotonous voice. "He said this would happen. And he was right. I told him he was stupid, but he was right."

"No," Spencer replied. "Ezra said what he said because he **loves** you. He doesn't believe you're stupid, nor did he want you to get hurt."

Aria shook her head, looking Spencer clear in the eyes. "He saw what I didn't. He was smart, and I was stupid. He knew what I should have, without even knowing Austin the way I did."

"I-" Spencer's phone began to ring, and she glanced over at the counter. It had rung several times already, and she hadn't answered it. She cringed.

"Answer it," Aria muttered softly. "I'm going to use your bathroom."

Spencer was reluctant to do so, but Aria moved off the chaise, and Spencer followed in suit. Aria headed up the stairs to the bathroom and turned and locked the door behind her. She felt dirty and sick.

She walked over to the toilet and shoved the lid open, heaving several times before she finally vomited. She was disgusting. And worse, Spencer knew what had happened to her without even having to ask. Spencer knew what she didn't. She. Was. Stupid.

After she managed to stop throwing up, Aria stepped over to the sink and rinsed her mouth out before she glanced towards the shower. She wanted to be clean. She wanted to wash every bit of tonight off her body. She wanted it all gone.

She stripped her clothes off and left them where they fell before walking over to the shower. It was a ridiculously expensive bathroom with multiple spraying spouts on the walls along with a shower head that hung from the ceiling. Aria pushed the button to turn all of them on after closing the door, and then she stepped into the heat of the water.

When she was soaked, she grabbed the soap from a shower caddy hanging from a hook on the glass wall and began to scrub her body. She scrubbed herself from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet, determined to get the scent and feeling off of her body. She felt so dirty that she felt sick again, but she knew it wasn't a feeling she'd be able to wash away. This would be stuck on her for years to come.

When Spencer knocked at the door outside the bathroom, Aria reluctantly turned the water off and answered that she'd be out soon. She stepped out of the shower and walked around one of the glass walls to the other side where towels were stacked in a small shelf. She tried herself and then wrapped her hair up in the towel before beginning to pull her clothes back on.

Standing in her shirt and panties, she stepped up in front of the mirror. She rubbed a hand over it and caught sight of herself. Her eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed, puffy enough to make her look like she'd been crying for weeks. There was light bruising on her wrist where he'd held her down...

Tears filled her eyes again, and when she caught look of herself in the mirror the second time, her hands curled into fists. She lifted both up and back, and then slammed them into the mirror. It made no difference the first time, but then she hit it again, and then the third time, it began to splinter. As she lifted her fists back and then tossed them into the mirror again, the surface shattered under her fists and pieces began to rain down into and on the sink while smaller pieces dug into the side of her hands. She pounded it once more, sending a majority of what was left sticking to the frame of the mirror down onto the sink.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She yelled at herself as she uncurled her hands. Tiny shards of glass fell to the floor, and she reached up and grabbed a piece of mirror from the counter. She could hear Spencer yelling at her to open the door, but she shook her head, staring at the mirror shard. It was sharp and pointed at one end. A sob erupted through her chest as she stared at it.

She raised it up and then slammed it down into her leg, crying out as it bit into her skin. Blood ran over her fingers as she pulled her hand back and then did it again in another spot, and then again.

Blood coated her fingers some seconds later, when she'd stabbed the glass into her legs a number of times. Her thighs were throbbing and she could feel the blood running down as her drugged gaze fell to the red tinted mirror. The endorphins rushing through her body made her feel weightless.

She lifted her other hand and looked down at her wrist. Ten feet and a solid door away, Spencer wouldn't reach her. She could just be done for good right here. Aria glanced up and spotted another shard of broken mirror even more thin and pointed than the one in her hand. She dropped the one she was holding and reached out for the other, leaving bloody drops and fingerprints in her wake as she pulled the piece into her hand. It bit into her palm where it was thin and sharp, but the endorphins in her body were rushing so much that she could barely feel it.

She placed the edge of the mirror against her wrist, facing it the same way as the length of her arm before she began to apply pressure.

It hurt. Like hell. It was like someone was prying her layers of skin apart with a spreader used in surgery, one layer at a time. But it also caused the biggest rush she'd ever felt, and she could finally get in a deep breath.

She slumped to the floor and the mirror shard dropped from her fingers.

"Just leave me be," she muttered into the air. To Spencer. To no one at all. "I'm fine here."

She laid her head against the back of the shower door behind herself, closing her eyes. She could envision Austin smiling at her, and then he was gone, and she saw Ezra. Telling her she was safe, and he loved her. Everything was going to be okay.

She opened her eyes again, and she saw Ezra again. Telling her she was safe, and that he loved her. And that everything was going to be okay.


	7. Steady Heart, Shaking Hands

**A/N:** I took a bit of an artistic liberty here with Ezra at the beginning, but tried to keep it as accurate as possible, so I think that should help a little?

Also, I wanted to make sure I posted this with the previous chapter because of where it ends. There's an option to continue this for a chapter or two (_maybe_ three) if ya'll want it, diving a bit into the future. That said, I also really like the ending of this.

_Steady Heart, Shaking Hands_

Ezra thanked god every day that Spencer's parents didn't feel that the doors inside the house needed to be anything special. He was also incredibly grateful that they'd updated the place a lot in the years that they'd owned the place. So while the bathroom door _looked _heavy and expensive, it was hollow and easy enough to break through.

When he'd called her, he'd only been meaning to reach out and see if she'd head from Aria-he wanted to make sure she was okay-and instead he found out that she was at Spencer's house. Spencer had been the one to insist he come over, because she was worried. Ezra had been less sure about making the trip, but Spencer insisted. So he'd driven over.

When he'd arrived, Spencer had been hysterical, telling him that Aria had locked herself in the bathroom and was hurting herself. He wanted to yell at the girl and tell her that she was stupid to let Aria wander off when she was apparently so upset, but he was far more worried when he heard the cries coming from the bathroom. So instead, he sent Spencer off in search of a hammer and threw himself against the door. Repeatedly.

He'd watched a show recently-he couldn't remember what-where they'd talked about how doors don't actually get broken down by someone slamming into them. But Ezra didn't have the time to wait for a battering ram or for Spencer to remember where her parents kept the key, or even for Spencer to find a hammer. So he used what he did have-his body.

His body hurt like hell when the door finally fell open, having successfully knocked the door off its its hinges. In the end, he royally fucked up his shoulder and broken several bones, but Aria was alive. She was bleeding **a lot**, and rather despondent, but she was alive.

She didn't speak to him that first night, and all he did was stay at her side. When people asked why he was called up, he threw out the excuse that he was a friend of Aria's family since working at Hollis, and the only person Spencer could think to call.

He said nothing to the police about Aria-truthfully, he **knew **nothing-and neither did Spencer. When they inevitably reached the hospital, Spencer waited in the waiting room while Aria was taken off into one room and Ezra was taken to another.

Four hours and a million X-rays later, he was finally released with a doctors number and an appointment set with an orthopedic surgeon for the following afternoon to have surgery on his shoulder. His very **busted** shoulder.

He wanted to know how Aria was doing, but by the time he was released from the hospital-nearly one AM-the Montgomery's had left, and Spencer was nowhere in sight either. He considered calling them, but then thought better of it and instead headed home after calling Hardy and telling him an abridged version of the story. While his best friend was most definitely a partier and playboy, he was also the one person Ezra could count on to help him out when he was incapacitated.

Days passed. Ezra saw the surgeon, and a date for surgery was set. He put together a number of lesson plans and passed them on to Byron, who passed them on to the substitute. Ezra planned to return to work two weeks after surgery-one if he was feeling good-but the days before he went in, the pain was high enough to make him want to tear his hair out. So instead, he followed his pain prescription to the letter and spent a majority of the time sleeping, and the rest of it telling Hardy what to stuff into boxes and move across town. Hardy had a two-bedroom apartment and more room than Ezra's little studio apartment.

The day of surgery came a week later, and he still knew nothing of what Aria was going through. Byron stopped in to wish him good luck, but he didn't share any information. The most that Ezra knew was that she'd been put into a seventy-two hour psych hold after being brought in, as it was mandatory. He knew nothing else.

His hospital stay was short, and he returned home-or rather, to Hardy's home-the following day. The first two days passed in a haze of pain medication and sleep, and no phone calls from Aria.

The second week passed, and there was still no communication. And then a third passed. When Ezra returned to Hollis, he still knew nothing. Byron told him nothing. Not a word was said to him on the subject of Aria Montgomery.

Five and a half weeks after he broke down a bathroom door to keep her from killing herself, Ezra had heard nothing from his ex-girlfriend. He'd started giving up on the hope that he would, and packed boxes of his possessions to move across town into Hardy's apartment. His insurance wasn't covering crap, and Hardy had offered him a place to stay at just a morsel of the price he was paying for his tiny apartment.

He'd had a box that contained the paper bags Aria had made, and letters she'd written him, tucked underneath his arm that cold December evening when he'd opened the door. Christmas was three days away, and he wanted to be out before New Years.

He dropped the box when he saw her standing at his door.

* * *

><p>No one spoke for well over a minute. Ezra was surprised to see Aria in front of him, and for all appearances, Aria didn't know what to say. They just stared at each other.<p>

Aria gulped. "Sorry. I...am I interrupting you?"

Ezra shook his head quickly. "I was just moving more boxes."

Aria nodded, glancing up at his shoulder. Her gaze dropped to the floor.

"Did you want to come in?" Ezra asked. His voice was tentative, nervous. He didn't know what the protocol was for this.

Aria looked back up at him. "I just...I wanted to apologize. For everything."

Ezra nodded, opening his door further. "Come in."

Aria looked terrified, but after a pregnant moment, she stepped through the doorway into the apartment. Ezra closed the door and then headed into the kitchenette. He grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and popped the seal before taking a drink.

"I know I should've reached out sooner," Aria said softly as she stood next to the doorway. "I just...didn't know what to say. I kept thinking the words would come, and they didn't."

Ezra swallowed down a large gulp of his sode and settled it on the counter. "I expected you to apologize."

Aria raised an eyebrow at him, like what he was saying was utterly arbitrary. "Ezra, I cheated on you."

Ezra nodded. "I know."

"That's not okay," Aria told him, as though he didn't actually know.

Ezra nodded again. "I know that too."

Aria's chin trembled and she glanced down again, lifting her hands to pick at her fingernails. "Then, I don't understand..."

Ezra crossed the room, standing in front of her. He made no move to touch her, because didn't want to scare her. He just stood before her. "You didn't do that because you hated me Aria, or because you wanted to hurt me. I knew from the moment I realized what was going on-and how long it must've been going on-that it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with what was going on in here," he said as he gently touched her head with his index finger.

"Furthermore, I knew it was him with a real handle on the control. There are expressions that people's faces make, that the person they're with don't see when they're together. Small and almost invisible, but they're there. And I could see it all when I saw him."

Aria's eyes climbed a trail from Ezra's shoes to his shirt, and finally his face. "You should hate me. I hurt you."

Ezra shook his head. "No, I hate him. And that is who I **should** hate; as should you. You were vulnerable, and he took advantage of that when he should've known better."

Aria whimpered. She reached a hand up and wiped a tear from her face. "Everyone keeps telling me that, and on a level of logic, I know they're right...but I can't seem to get that through my head."

"Are you talking to someone about it?" Ezra asked.

Aria nodded. "Almost all the time, it seems."

She finally took the time to look around the room, and then glance back at Ezra. She was confused.

"Where is all your stuff?"

"I'm moving," he explained. "The surgery cost a lot of money, and my insurance isn't helping much. The only way I could cover a payment plan was to give this place up. Hardy offered me his spare room for a lot less, so I'm gonna go there for a while."

"Oh god, Ezra, I did this to you." Aria looked sad all over again.

"No," he insisted. "**I **did this to me. And I've got assets to work with, Aria. Don't worry about me. I've got this covered."

Aria looked at him skeptically. It was clear that she didn't believe him.

"I'll be fine," he promised her. "Tell me more about you."

* * *

><p>Aria filled a number of boxes with Ezra's books that night, and she told him about her twenty-nine days in treatment. Ezra was surprised when she shared that number with him, but in retrospect, he fully understood it, considering how she'd been found. She explained how she'd spent a number of hours in therapy already, talking about anything and everything.<p>

She didn't mention whether Austin Henderson was caught for whatever he'd done to Aria, and Ezra didn't ask. Words didn't need to be spoken between them for him to understand what had happened to her. If she wanted to tell him one day, he'd listen, but he didn't feel the need to know. Instead, he let her tell him stories, and he listened when she laughed and watched when she smiled. Most of all, he was grateful for every second of it, because it'd been nearly a year since he'd seen her genuinely happy.

After that night, they stayed in touch, but there was no sudden move forward to get back together. All Ezra was worried about was Aria being healthy, and she seemed to be on the same page so he left her alone when she needed it, and he was open to seeing her when she wanted to.

Christmas came and went with little communication. Aria called him once to check in and tell wish him a merry Christmas. Ezra didn't push. In a way, he stopped trying all together.

* * *

><p>Valentines day was a week away, and the new term had just started when Aria finally gathered up the courage to try and talk to Ezra about their relationship. They'd spent a lot of time together sharing reading material and talking about various movies, but months had passed with an actual conversation about where they were going.<p>

She knew part of of it had to do with herself and all the issues she'd gone through the previous year. She knew she'd failed him in more ways than she could even count, and she was only starting to reach a point where she was able to not blame herself so much. Recovery took time, she told herself. That's what her therapist and parents said every day.

She bounced her phone between her hands as she chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for other people to empty the parking lot of Rosewood Day. She was at least ten cars behind, and people were taking their sweet time pulling out.

Exhaling a nervous breath, she looked down at her phone and woke it up. She opened her contacts and then scrolled to Ezra's name, staring at it nervously for a few moments. She always panicked when she got to this point.

In a moment of haste, she tapped the button on the screen and then lifted her phone to her ear, listening nervously for the sound of the ringtone.

The phone began to ring.

"Don't pick up, don't pick up, don't pick up," she muttered to herself as she watched two cars pull out of the parking lot.

"_**Hey, what's up?" **_

Aria gulped. Her heart started to hammer in her chest. "I- er- uh, are...can I talk to you? I'm just leaving school."

"_**Sure. What's crackin'?" **_

Aria chuckled. Ezra's attempt to 'get current with the lingo' was not going over well. It was an endeavor he'd set out on over the past few weeks when he made a comment with the word 'groovy' and 'word' itself. She and Hardy had teased him relentlessly for days afterward.

"I meant in person," she replied. "Are you home?"

"_**Nah, I'm at Hollis for a few more hours. Late class. I'm free for like half an hour though if you hurry." **_

Aria exhaled a long breath. The last thing she wanted was for her father to know that she was seeking out Ezra again. Byron had become far too comfortable with Aria and Ezra being **just friends. **In fact, he was downright giddy about it. It annoyed Aria.

"Alright. I'll be there in a bit."

"_**Sounds good." **_

Aria ended the call a moment later and sighed as she dropped her phone into the center console. Talking about anything that resembled a relationship with Ezra made her nervous. She was already a screw-up. Fortunately, driving required ninety-five percent of her focus, so she couldn't really think about it while she drove.

The drive to Hollis took a bit longer than it should have because of road closures. A storm had hit Rosewood the week before and with it came freezing rain that caused some major pot holes around the city. The restoration society was trying to push for new roads to be paved, but Rosewood residents who'd been around for decades were against it.

Aria just hated that it took her ten minutes more to get anywhere in town.

When she reached Hollis, she had to wait through another corral of passing cars before she could get into the Arts & Literature parking lot. By the time she'd gotten in, she barely had ten minutes to spare before Ezra would be running off to wherever else he had to go, so she turned her car off and then jumped out of her car and started running towards the doors. She nearly slipped a number of times, but her quick movements kept her from doing so. She would've slammed into the door had someone not been opening it as she was moving towards it, and she just managed to catch herself as she stepped onto the linoleum.

Once inside the building, she walked towards Ezra's office a bit slower, if only not to get yelled at. Once she turned down his hall though, he was standing outside the door chatting with another teacher. He glanced up at her and waved.

As Aria approached, the other teacher turned and walked away, and Ezra turned and headed back into the office with her tailing behind him.

"I wasn't sure you'd make it," he commented as she closed the door.

"I ran from the parking lot," she responded. Ezra turned towards her as he passed around his desk.

"So what'd you want to talk about?"

Aria inhaled a deep breath, trying to get some air into her lungs first. It was a tricky question, and yet one that she wanted a direct answer for. It didn't help that she was still nervous as hell.

"I just..." She fought the urge to chew her lip in all her anxiety. They didn't have time for her to panic. "I wanted to ask you a question about...this."

Ezra nodded, grabbing his coffee cup. He took a sip from it and then replaced it. "What about us?"

"Well, it's just that we-"

"Ezra?"

The door opened behind Aria as his name drifted through the air, and she glanced back to see a blond woman standing there. She was gorgeous, and small like Aria. She had big blue eyes and curly hair...and a teacher's guide book on her arm.

Aria glanced back at Ezra and straightened her shoulders. Maybe she was stupid, or maybe she'd just waited too long. She wasn't entirely sure.

"I should go," she said suddenly. She didn't wait for anyone to answer her comment, and instead headed out of the room.

* * *

><p>She started out wandering aimlessly. She knew better than to find herself alone somewhere when she was feeling down, so instead she drove to Wrights park and then took her earphones from her purse and grabbed her phone before heading into the park.<p>

She opened her music library and started up the playlist she'd created for when she needed a pick-me-up. It was a mix of seventies, eighties, and nineties music along with girly pop music to get her moving a little bit. As she listened to the playlist, she trudged through the snow up to the swings. When she reached them, she pushed one of them to make the snow stacked on the seat fall off before she leaned back into it, letting her coat keep her bum from getting wet.

She didn't move very fast, instead just lightly pushing herself back and forth as she listened to the music.

The part of her that pitied herself wanted to wallow in a missed opportunity. She still loved Ezra-she'd never actually stopped. The issues with her spending time with Austin had more to do with trying to run from her problems than it ever did anything else. She wanted attention from someone who didn't know about what she'd been through. After that night at Spencer's place though...there wasn't a single person in Rosewood that didn't know what had happened on some level or another.

Even so, she hadn't felt able to jump right back into a relationship after getting out of the hospital. Her doctor actually encouraged against it, telling her to take time to 'be with herself' and learn to trust the people she loved again. It was during that time that she'd realized how much Ezra didn't care about her baggage. That wasn't to say he didn't care about **her**-he did very much. But he didn't care about the fact that she had PTSD and cringed sometimes when he touched her, or that she screamed when she had nightmares. He supported every choice she made, almost to the point where it made her want to hate him, because he treated her better than she deserved.

She sighed heavily and rested her head against the chain on her left. Ezra deserved happiness, and she would have to learn to let that be with someone else.

She spent a while longer on the swing, letting the music play while she mouthed along to the words and unconsciously moved her feet to the beat.

When the sun started to set, she knew her parents would be calling to ask where she was. She started moving towards her car.

It occurred to her as she walked that the last time she'd been at Wrights park was when she broke up with Ezra. She couldn't help but glance up in the direction of Austin's house-or at least where his house used to be-as she recalled that night. She'd given up so much out of stupidity.

If there was one way she was sure that Ezra cared about her, it was in the fact that while she'd been in the hospital, Austin's house had mysteriously had a massive fire. The house was completely leveled and nothing was left behind. Rosewood PD investigated-or claimed to, at least-but conveniently turned up nothing. That fact didn't really surprise Aria either, considering how openly hateful people were about Austin Henderson. They wanted nothing to do with him or anything he did-and didn't-do for Rosewood.

She got into her car a few moments later and took in the sights around her as she started the engine. She didn't visit Wrights much anymore, and she didn't really want to. It held a lot of bad memories she didn't want to recall.

She pulled away from the park a few minutes afterwards and headed towards home. As she did, her phone rang in the passenger seat with a call from Ella. Ella would be wondering where she was, and why she hadn't told her where she was headed when she left school. Ella and Byron hovered now-even more than they used to. Aria didn't mind it..._that_ much.

She was surprised though, as she pulled up into her driveway, to spot a silver camry sitting in her driveway. She pulled her car up behind his and then grabbed her things and headed up towards the house.

When she stepped inside, Ella immediately called out her name. She responded back and began removing her things, kicking her boots off by the door and dropping her school bag nearby. As she was unsheathing her coat, Ezra walked into the foyer.

"Hey," he said as he came into her view.

"Hi," she said softer.

"Aria, that girl earlier today-"

"It's alright," she told him as she turned to face him. Without her shoes, she had to tilt her head up to see him. "You deserve to be happy."

"So do you, but that's not what I was here to say," he commented.

"Ezra, don't worry about it. I'm happy for you, no matter who you're with."

Ezra sighed, reaching out and clamping his hands on her biceps. Aria flinched, but she didn't push him off her.

"She's not my girlfriend," he told her. "I've been waiting for someone else."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "Ezra..."

"I've never wanted to push you," he continued. "I've always wanted to wait for you to come back to me...if you wanted to. I-"

She pushed up onto her tip toes and pressed her lips against his. It was closed-mouthed, but there was a world of heat behind it anyway.

Ezra's hands loosened and dropped from her arms, and Aria dropped back against the floor a few seconds later. Neither of them spoke for a minutes, and the only sound that emitted was from the other room.

"_Shit!" _Ella growled as something clattered onto the floor. Aria and Ezra smirked, giggling softly.

His hands moved slowly between her arms and her body, resting lightly on her ribs. He smiled wider at her, and she smiled back at him. A few seconds later, she felt the pull of his hands lifting her forward, and she wrapped her hands around his neck, meeting him in the middle as he kissed her once more.

No rush, no force. Everything in mediation. Yep, this was good.

Even better, this was perfect.


	8. Sunlight On My Bedroom Floor

_Sunlight On My Bedroom Floor_

_5 years later_

Aria yawned as she leaned against the back of the chair she was sitting in. It had been a long day and her feet were aching like crazy from the entire day. She wanted desperately to crawl into her bed and call it a day, but there were people to thank and please before the night was through.

She glanced off to her left as she twisted her wedding band on her finger lightly. Behind it, her engagement ring sat-a pink diamond set simply on the band. It didn't need to be something that jumped out though. Aria wasn't that kind of person anymore. She didn't demand attention with her fashion choices anymore. Parenthood demanded that enough attention on its own, and she didn't need people spotting her even more easily because she wore comic-printed pants or a sunlight yellow blazer. Jeans and a t-shirt were good enough for her these days. Well, except for maybe today.

"Isn't the bride supposed to be the host of these festivities," Hardy commented from beside her. Aria glanced over at him, smirking.

"I thought it was the brides parents," she responded before glancing around them. "I don't see them, though."

"Well then you and your parents equally suck at putting on a shindig," Hardy told her.

Aria giggled, turning back to look for her husband in the crowd of people. They were waiting for dinner to be started, and it was taking far too long for the caterers to finish getting ready.

"In all fairness, it's storming outside," Aria commented as she spotted a toddler dashing through the crowd of people in the room.

"Incoming!" A voice called from across the room. Aria stepped off the chair and planted her feet on the ground, inwardly groaning at the ache in her feet. _**Where **_**were **Byron and Ella with her flats? Her feet were killing her.

Several seconds later, a flurry of ivory curls dashed at her, and a few seconds later, all she saw were big blue orbs as the gray suit-clad child slipped away under the layers of tulle her dress had. Below her, her son laid at her feet, still giggling.

"Momma!" He squealed as he tried to push himself out from under her dress. Aria leaned down and pushed as much fabric away as she could before she grabbed a hold of her sun from under his arms and hoisted him up.

"Sorry," Spencer said as she approached a few moments later. "He got his shoes off while I was talking to Han about...future festivities, and he took off."

Aria shrugged, settling Edison onto her hip. "Not a problem. I didn't expect him to get _this_ far into the day behaving. I've been lucky."

"Aria," Mike interrupted a few seconds later.

She glanced up. "Hmm?"

"The caterers are saying they're ready."

Her brow furrowed. "I thought-"

"He was." Mike responded before she could finish.

"Then-"

"He's trying to keep his mom from killing the chef," Mike explained.

Aria rolled her eyes. She knew the family she was inheriting was rich, but sometimes her now-mother-in-law drove her nuts.

"Are mom and dad here yet?" She asked as they headed towards the dining hall. It was divided from the bar-where they were currently waiting-by an accordian doorway.

"He called and said they spun out into a ditch. They're fine, but he told mom to get a cab while he waited for a tow truck." Mike explained. "She'll be here soon."

"Alright," Aria muttered. She exhaled a sigh as they stepped inside the dining hall. She glanced around the room. Waiters were setting out plates and silverware on tables finally. She turned back to Mike. "I'm gonna go find the chef and make sure he doesn't actually get fired. Will you take Edison and find out where he left his shoes?"

Mike nodded, reaching out for the two year old boy. Edison sighed dramatically, but he relinquished his grip on his mother and went to his uncle. Aria kissed the top of his head and then turned and headed across the room to the kitchen.

She didn't bother to knock as she shoved the door open, but she could hear a myriad of voices arguing from around the corner, in what she was pretty sure was Italian.

"He speaks Italian?" She muttered to herself as she rounded the corner. "God, I'm stupid." She walked over to the three adults and yelled. "**Hey!**"

Ezra and Dianne each turned to face her, somewhat surprised at her presence.

"Mademoiselle, you cannot be in here," the chef said.

"Yeah, well you've got my groom and my mother-in-law in here already, so deal with it. Now deal with whatever the issue is with the food in the next ten minutes, or you can consider your pay cut in half," she demanded. "We're done in here."

"But madam-"

"But **nothing**," she commanded firmly as she linked each hand in the crook of Ezra and Dianne's elbows and tugged them towards the door. "We're finished here."

If Dianne wanted to argue the subject further, she didn't say anything. Once they were outside of the room, she headed off in the direction of the dining hall. Ezra seemed to be headed the same way until Aria stopped in her tracks and grasped his arm tighter.

"You speak Italian?" She questioned as he turned to face her.

Ezra's brow furrowed. "Where'd you think Edison was getting it from?"

Aria threw her hands in the air. "Baby Einstein? The Duolingo app on your tablet? The Rosetta Stone you insist on having?"

Ezra chuckled. "No, my grandfather was fluent only in Italian, so I grew up around it. My mom raised me to be fluent in both. I figured we should do the same for D."

"There was no _we_ in the knowledge of this secret second language you've apparently been speaking the last six years."

Ezra chuckled again. "I promise it's always been there. Sorry you've apparently missed it. Now can we get back out there before people think we've taken off into a bathroom for a quickie?"

Aria muttered something under her breath as Ezra turned to head back into the bar, and Ezra chuckled.

"Now _**that**_ is some dirty french if I've ever heard it," he commented.

Aria just walked up behind him and shoved him between his shoulders. "Shut up, dick."

"I'm not the one-"

"**Ezra**," she growled. "Don't even."

He turned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. "I'm just saying...Edison wasn't immaculate conception."

"Not as far as my father thinks," Aria laughed.

Ezra just rolled his eyes. "Sure. A stork dropped Edison. Whatever helps him sleep at night."

Aria shoved him again.

* * *

><p>Edison Connor Fitz was born in the middle of a snow storm on February sixth, 2015. Pregnancy wasn't something Aria or Ezra had been prepared for, especially given the fact that she was enrolled with a full course-load at U-Penn in Philadelphia and at the time she'd been on track to finish her Bachelor's degree early because she'd taken school year-round every year instead of taking the summers off. She'd been working hard to finish up so that she could take a semester off and plan their wedding, only to be suddenly sidetracked and planning for a baby instead. All of a sudden, she was in the process of rushing to achieve her bachelors so that she could still achieve taking a semester off, only it was because she wanted to be home with the baby instead of planning for their wedding.<p>

If the issue of postponing her wedding wasn't enough to wrack Aria's hormonally-driven nerves, she also hadn't had a clue how they were going to break the news to their families. At the time, Aria was still living at home with Byron and Ella with the occasional weekend spent at Ezra's place here or there. There was no specific reason for not wanting to move in with him-it just seemed more logical to stay with her parents, who had gotten a home in Philadelphia when she decided she wasn't ready to be on her own after graduation. Rosewood was 20 minutes from Philadelphia on a good evening, but on most days it meant spending anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour in traffic. Byron usually spent the week in Rosewood while Ella alternated depending on a number of Aria's needs-from silence for studying to reassurance that she wasn't a single slip away from destroying her whole life. Plus, there was the whole issue of Byron liking to pretend that she and Ezra weren't anything more than very good friends. Her father maintained a good relationship with both of them, but he never ventured to discuss anything Ezra and Aria enjoyed together if it meant that they were talking about anything more than G-rated.

As it was, telling Ezra was the easiest part. He was on board with living wherever she wanted to, and made no qualms when she insisted on indefinitely postponing the wedding. Instead, he agreed to move to Phladelphia and he transferred to the recently-built Philadelphia branch of Hollis. Granted, most of what he did in the first six months was help build the curriculum for the english department, but it was a job, and Aria was able to stay in school while they prepared for Edison.

Telling their parents was both the easiest and hardest part of it all. Ella took to the news happily-or at least as happy as a mother does when her 21 year old daughter confesses she's pregnant while rushing through her second degree in college and not yet married. Byron on the other hand, went through a two month phase where he either completely ignored both Ezra and Aria or scowled at them and made snide off-the-handle comments. That only changed when a comment he made over a family dinner on Mike's birthday reduced Aria to tears, and Ella all but tore Byron's head off.

Of course, for as much trouble as Aria had with Byron, she had no clue what she was getting herself into when she decided to procreate with Fitz and Company. For his own part, Ezra was down for anything and everything she wanted to do. He had an untouched trust-fund that he was more than willing to use in contribution for their unborn child, but that required contact with his mother. That contact inevitably happened when he decided to use part of the trust-fund to pay for their home. Dianne wanted to know why he was buying a home in Philadelphia-and then she wanted to know why he was buying something for more than one person. The questions grew, and her desire for answers became more heated with each passing week. Aria, not fully understanding at the time, tried to quell the issues between Ezra and his mother by arranging a meeting with Dianne when she decided to make a trip to Rosewood. Instead, she just created more drama for herself.

Once Dianne Fitz knew Aria-and by extension, her entire family-she felt she had a hand in controlling every move Aria and Ezra made after that. That fact was only made more troublesome when Ella found out and the two women decided to go head-to-head. There were fights over trivial things, from the kind of furniture Aria and Ezra got, to where they'd inevitably get married. It drove Aria up a wall. That never really changed, either. Dianne wanted a controlling interest in anything she could get her hands on, and Aria just learned to let the woman _think_ she had it, if for no other reason than to keep fights from happening.

The silver lining in all the family drama of course came when Edison was finally born. Even though Dianne _insisted_ on Ezra and Aria choosing from the Springer family names for their child-no one ever spoke of Ezra's father or his family-they decided Edison's name entirely on their own.

Edison came from Ezra's paternal grandfather-the only link Ezra, his mother, and brother kept to his father's family. Edison was known well across New York City for his work in politics, and though he was notorious for his iron-fist ruling, he adored his grandchildren and bent over backwards to do whatever he could for them. Ezra explained a number of stories to Aria-most of them ending with both of them teary-eyed as Ezra recalled events with his grandfather-and eventually swayed Aria on the name.

Because Ezra got Edison, Aria got her choice on the middle name, and she went for something equally as sentimental. She told him about a friend she had in grade school-Connor Marshall-who succombed to leukemia when he was seven. She could've gone with a myriad of other names-Byron, Michael, Jack, after her own grandfather-but she'd felt Connor with her every day since the day he died, and it only seemed right to honor that.

* * *

><p>Aria grimaced as Edison squirmed in her lap, promptly digging his tiny left heel into her knee as he tried to push himself up.<p>

"Sit down, baby. Dinner's coming in a moment."

Ezra glanced over at them and then offered his hands to Edison, who reached out and crawled over to his father. Ezra reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone, opening up Minion Rush for him to play. He was too easily pleased with electronics, but if gaming kept him docile for a while, then Aria and Ezra were more than happy to let him stare at the screen and attempt to move the minion in the right directions.

Waiters walked over to the table and began placing bowls in front of the people seated at the head table, and Aria sighed. Food meant people would be happy for a while. Food meant people would be busy filling their stomachs.

"Are you upset about something?" Ezra asked as he moved Edison into a highchair between them. The toddler was still highly focused on his game, which would probably lead to him screaming when they took the game away and told him to eat.

Aria shook her head, smiling at Ezra to reassure him. "I'm more concerned about other people getting upset."

He nodded understandingly. "Sorry about my mother."

"Tayos!" Edison crowed as he bounced in his seat. "Momma, tayos!"

Aria nodded, reaching for one of the bowls in front of them. "Yeah, baby. Tatoes." She glanced up at Ezra. "I'll just be glad tomorrow when everyone is gone," she whispered.

Ezra chuckled. He began pouring green beans on his plate and then tried to sneak them onto Edison's plate. While the boy loved his potatoes, he fought almost every vegetable his parents tried to get him to eat. Aria reached up a few seconds later and placed a leg of chicken on her son's plate. While she was entirely insistent on not eating meat, she knew that most of her guests and family members weren't vegetarian like she and Ezra, and that they wouldn't want to eat a vegetarian meal. Edison wouldn't have been eating meat either, had Ella and Byron not introduced him to it earlier in the year during a week he spent with them while Aria was studying for final exams. She spent three days after he got home trying to figure out what "shick" was, before she finally called Ella and found out it used to be a bird. So while the rest of their guests were eating meat, she and Ezra were eating veggie burgers.

"Have you talked to your parents about an extra day yet?" Ezra asked in reference to their honeymoon. They'd initially planned to only be gone for three days-that was as much as they could afford after the wedding, and Ezra had one class left before Christmas break could officially begin. However, an anonymous donor-Ezra highly suspected his brother, who had been unable to attend the wedding-had dropped a thousand dollars into Ezra's bank account. Dianne insisted it wasn't her and that she knew nothing about it, but she was the only other person besides Aria and Ezra himself who knew his account information.

"Have you spoken to your brother yet?" Aria responded. She was wary to do anything with the anonymous donation until she knew about where it had come from.

"I called him earlier today," Ezra replied. "He's in meetings all day, but I expect he'll call back before we're out of here. D, it's time to eat."

"_Daddy_," the two year-old whined as he dropped his head back and pouted at Ezra. His eyes may have been Ezra's very own, but he had long perfected Aria's puppy-faced pout with the big eyes and bottom lip. In fact Ezra was pretty sure Edison was born with it ingrained in his DNA.

"You can play after you eat," Aria told her son. "As long as you want."

Ezra exchanged a glance with her, but he didn't push the subject further.

Voices were soft, merely tinkling in the room instead of booming through it as everyone ate their meals. When everyone at the bridal party table was relatively through, Aria stood and grabbed the microphone to start the post-meal speeches.

She cleared her throat near the microphone, sparking peoples attention before most of them glanced up at her.

"Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank everyone who was able to make it today on behalf of both of us," she said. "There were a lot of others who couldn't make it with it being the end of the year and all. Also, before I pass this off, I wanted to personally thank my best friend Hanna, who worked through countless nights, especially in the past few weeks, to get all the dresses done for today, as well as all the decorations today. Also, we're very grateful to The Lighthouse for catering this on such short notice after our previous caterer suddenly dropped out. So please, enjoy the rest of the night, and thank you again so much for being here," Aria finished.

She returned to her seat and a few seconds later, Hardy stood from his seat, walking over to the microphone. Edison popped up in his high chair and squealed, reaching out for his-for all intensive purposes-uncle. Aria rolled her eyes and laughed, as did Hardy as he picked up the toddler and settled him on his hip.

"Okay, excuse the two foot tall limb I've just grown while I tell this story," Hardy joked as Edison turned his interest onto a button on Hardy's open suit jacket.

"For those of you who don't know, I'm the groom's best friend, Hardy. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I was going to say when I got up here today." He glanced at Aria. "Appalling, _I __**know**__. _Even so, I tried to come up with what to tell you guys that you don't already know, or a story that would actually surprise you...and I couldn't think of a d-...thing."

Light chuckles erupted from the guests at Hardy's sudden stop at nearly cursing in front of Edison.

"Anyway, about two days ago, I was sitting at home talking with Ezra and Aria bout today, and Spencer was helping Aria organize photos for an album they were putting together. Conversation kind-of got away from us about today, and we started flipping through the photos. Aria kept trying to hide these three stacks she had stuffed in her purse, and when we finally got our hands on them, none of us could understand why," Hardy explained. He glanced at Aria.

"But later that night, I was looking over the pictures again while the girls went to get food, and I realized why." He turned his attention back to the crowd. "Everyone here probably knows these two split up for about four months a few years back. A lot was going on, and when I looked at those photos, I realized they were from around the same time. Now, I'm supposed to be up here talking these two up, so give me a chance to get there."

Hardy paused, squatting down so that he was eye-to-eye with Aria. Tears were already swimming in her eyes even though he hadn't spoken yet. He smiled as he settled Edison on his feet and then reached out and squeezed Aria's hand.

"There's no one in this room who can talk sell Fitz to you as a best friend more than I can, although Aria would like to give me a run for my money on that most days," he explained. "Even so, I've been told I'm lucky to have the friends I do. But what I've never been able to do is tell people is how Aria makes Ezra that person, and how great she is for it.

"Most people who know Aria, know that she is very humble about herself, if not a little derogatory at times. She's also the **nicest **chick I've ever met, and the type to be friends first, ask questions later. But those pictures she'd rather hide than share tell the story of a woman I'm entirely proud to know. More than the story of that time in and of itself, I think that point and time in our friendship was the first time I saw Ezra throw caution to the wind and simply fight. Granted, I'd seen him argue a grade a number of times in school, and step in when someone was being bullied, but I never saw him so headstrong about something." Hardy paused to take a few breaths, standing back up with Edison once again curled at his side.

"Anyway, my point here is **not** to make people cry, but to point out the fact that Aria Montgomery-Fitz didn't just build a survivor, and fighter, and warrior, over those months. She built two. She took herself-and now her husband-and make two really great people into two **awesome** people that I only consider myself too lucky to have met, and that's more than anyone can ask for. I'm proud that I know both of you. Thank you."

The room erupted in applause-and even a few cheers-as Hardy returned the microphone to the stand. Aria stood and hugged him, squeezing tightly in an attempt to quell her tears. Afterwards, Spencer stood to give her speech as the maid-of-honor, and then she was followed by a few anecdotes from Hanna and Emily, as well as Ezra's remaining groomsmen. Their speeches were lovely, but even after everyone had exited their seats and moved to the bar so that the floor could be cleared for dancing, Aria was still caught on Hardy's words, and what they meant.

* * *

><p>Ezra proposed twice. The first time, it was a bigger, more flashy presentation that included a party on her twentieth birthday, and a speech from him about how much he loved her. It reduced her to tears and she replied with a joyful, resounding yes. But it didn't mean as much to her as the second time he proposed.<p>

Some months after Edison had been born, wedding plans had been on a relatively permanent hiatus. Aria had resold the dress that she'd bought nearly two years earlier when she'd gotten pregnant. Given that it was never worn, brand new, and discontinued, she was able to sell it at it's original value, but that just left her with a padded wedding fund, and no plans. She'd scrapped most of her original plans because she wanted Edison a part of every piece, and was only left with the color palate she'd picked.

When she recalled that time, the days before he proposed didn't entirely spark much feeling. She'd felt that she and Ezra were were just kind-of...stuck. There were very few date nights-and what was actually considered a 'date' was usually inhaling takeout over a movie-of-the-week viewing on TV-and those were usually rushed or interrupted by Edison. Aria didn't complain about it-much-but she and Ezra weren't getting anywhere new. She'd started to feel like they were spending more of their time laying around in the comfort of living with someone who felt more like a best friend than significant other. And then Ezra surprised her.

It was the middle of July, and he had called from work, having been helping to take an inventory of textbooks, as the Philadelphia extension of Hollis was adding new classes to its roster still. When he called, he asked if she'd meet him in the city, and to bring Edison along. It was a rare day-one of only a few in the entire month of July-during which the heat was only in the seventies, and by sundown, it was dropping to a comfortable temperature. It was warm enough that she only packed one light throw blanket for Edison to have in his stroller, and a white summer dress with yellow lilies all over it.

When Ezra met up with her, she expected they'd take a walk through the city or get coffee, since they rarely did anything else interesting anymore. But instead, he said nothing and led her to the train station. From there, they caught the shuttle to Rosewood, and he led her to-of all places-Wright's Park.

The mere idea of stepping into the park almost completely unnerved Aria before they even reached the place. Even so, she followed Ezra to the property, and then they walked over to the swings. Edison had long since fallen asleep, so Aria only stood near the swings instead of getting on one, and she began twenty-questioning Ezra as to why he'd led her to the city.

"This place is our beginning, our middle, and though I doubt it'll be our end, it's been our past, it's our present in this moment, and I'd like it to lead us to our future," he'd told her. Aria was confused, but he didn't continue with his speech. Instead, he stood from the swing he'd been sitting on, and they started walking again.

He led her across the park to the parking lot, and launched into a speech about the stories she'd told him of the days she spent parked in that spot-many of them in tears. He pointed to the scorched earth that was still Austin Conrad's burned-down home, though now it was just a vast open space, and he made a clear distinction of where she started, and where she was in that moment. He talked her up in a way that only he could without making her seem pretentious and self-centered. And he told her that he adored who she'd become. Aria was blushing and crying when he finally stopped giving her a speech. There was a brief pause-Aria still half-believed it was Ezra's flare for drama in the moment-and when she finally looked back up at him, he asked her simply.

"_Marry me," he requested. The statement was so monotonous, it took her a moment to realize he was actually asking. _

"_W-what?" Aria wiped away the remaining tears from her face and sighed. "I...aren't we already...?"  
><em>

"_I know you feel like we've been stuck for a while, and I can't even remember the last time I saw you pick up your binder with all your ideas...but I love you, Aria. I genuinely believe that this is meant to be, because I know under all the exhaustion of having a baby, there's passion. I know because I feel it, and I want it, with you. And only you." _

_Aria gulped, feeling her bottom lip tremble. A small chuckle escaped her. "I figured maybe you were just complacent now and didn't care about moving forward." _

_Ezra cupped her face in his hands, shaking his head. "No, baby." He chuckled, glancing down at Edison sleeping in the stroller. "Exhausted, definitely, and maybe a little lazy. But not complacent. I still want everything we decided in the past, before Edison."_

_Aria smiled, pushing up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Her boots spent most days in a closet that was devoted entirely to her wardrobe. With Edison's birth came the need to be quick, and that meant a decent pair of easy-to-slip-on runners. It also took her from just a few inches shorter than Ezra, to nearly a foot smaller._

* * *

><p>"What was that? A confession of undying love?" Ezra mocked Hardy as they sipped on the champagne from dinner.<p>

"Seriously," Spencer added in.

"You guys say that like the woman will let you tell her for a second that you like her," Hardy responded. "The mere _mention_ that Aria is smart, or nice-"

"Yeah, yeah," Aria dismissed as she walked up to them with Edison on her hip. He was dozing on her shoulder, which likely meant her parents would be leaving soon since they were going to be babysitting Edison while Aria and Ezra went on their vacation.

She glanced up towards Ezra. "Did your brother call back?"

Ezra shook his head. "I got a text about ten minutes though that he's headed back to his hotel, so he'll be calling shortly."

"And he couldn't make the wedding why?" Hardy asked. "It's not that late yet."

"He's in London," Ezra responded. "I don't even want to know what he's doing that's got him out at a meeting at two thirty AM their time."

Hardy raised an eyebrow suggestively, but before he could say anything, Spencer kicked him roughly in his calf with the edge of her heel. He let out a squeal of pain, scowling at her.

"Just go get a new drink," Spencer admonished. They glared at one another, but Hardy walked away a few seconds later and Aria and Ezra said nothing. They never said much when it came to Spencer and Hardy together, because their relationship was easily described in one word. Electric. From their fights to their kisses, everything seemed emotionally driven, if only by the electric charge between them.

Ezra's phone began to ring in his pocket, causing Emerson to perk up momentarily, but as soon as Ezra accepted the call, the boy rested his head back on his mother's shoulder, and Ezra headed to a more convenient space for talking.

"Tired, momma," Edison muttered as he snuggled against Aria's shoulder.

"Okay, baby," she said softly. She placed a kiss on his head before turning in search of Ella. She hadn't seen her mother since they'd cut the cake nearly an hour ago, but it wasn't that much of a surprise. A large portion of Aria's family was there, and Ella was likely visiting.

It took her several minutes to spot Ella, and then get across the room to her. She waited while her mother finished a conversation with one of her uncles before finally interjecting.

"Oh, my little man," Ella cooed as she brushed a hand through Edison's hair. "He's down for the count."

Aria nodded. "I know Ezra's planning on leaving soon, but he's gonna start getting grouchy if he's here much longer."

Ella reached out her hands and gently lifted Edison from Aria's arms, barely rousing the two year old as she did. Edison resettled she rested him on her own hip.

"Did dad ever get things figured out with the car?" Aria asked.

"It was towed, and the back passenger wheel is going to need replacing, but we'll just catch a ride back with your Uncle Jack," Ella explained.

"Nonsense," Ezra interjected as he walked up. He seemed to bring keys out of thin air, but they were his own, and he offered them to Ella. "Take my car. We'll get a cab to the hotel and then to the airport tomorrow. There's already a car seat in it."

"Are you sure?" Ella asked.

Ezra nodded, dropping the keys into her hands.

"What'd your brother say?" Aria asked him.

"He said that I suck for ruining what he intended to be a surprise," Ezra responded. "So..."

He and Aria turned back towards Ella, and Ezra did his best to mirror Aria's pouty face.

"Okay, what?" Ella inquired.

"Colton-"

"My brother," Ezra interrupted.

"-decided to bestow money on us for our wedding gift," Aria explained. "We were hoping, if you wouldn't mind, we could take an extra day..." Aria questioned.

"Oh," Ella said as though she expected a more dramatic answer. "That's fine. Go ahead."

Aria's brow furrowed slightly. "You're sure? It's not a problem?"

Ella shook her head. "Not at all. We'll be fine, and per your request, we will Skype every night so that he can see you two. Edison will have a great time."

Aria glanced up at Ezra cheerfully, and he grinned back at her before the two bestowed Ella with happy hugs. She laughed at them, and then they headed towards the door shortly thereafter, after finding Byron and alerting him that Ella was going to head back to their home with Edison. Aria and Ezra both followed her parents out to the car and said their goodbyes, being careful not to wake Edison.

When Ella and Byron had pulled out of the parking lot and the car lights were no longer in sight, Aria finally turned back towards Ezra, smiling.

"Happy?" He asked.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Very. I almost wish we didn't have to go back inside and hang out a while longer."

"Yeah," he sighed. "Damn family members."

Aria laughed, shaking her head at him. "Oh well. One more hour. And then you better be in that bed with me or I'm starting without you."

Ezra raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously?"

Aria just smirked at him. "You really want to find out? You better leave when I do."


End file.
